Young people diagnosed with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) years ago - How are they now?

BACKGROUND: Up to 30% of patients referred to epilepsy centres for drug-resistant epilepsy turn out to have psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES). Patients with PNES are a very heterogeneous population with large differences in regard to underlying causes, seizures severity, and impact on quality of life. There is limited knowledge regarding the long-term seizure prognosis of youth with PNES and its influential factors. METHODS: We have performed a retrospective study on adolescents diagnosed with PNES who were receiving inpatient care at our hospital for 2-4 weeks in the period of 2012-2020. They all attended psychoeducational courses to educate them about PNES, coping with the seizures, and possible contributors to seizure susceptibility. There were 258 patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. We contacted them by text messages, through which they received brief information about the study and an invitation to participate. There were 62 patients (24 %) who agreed and participated in structured telephone interviews. We excluded 10 patients due to concomitant epilepsy. The mean age of the remaining 52 participants was 20.9 years (16-28 years), and 45 (87 %) were women. RESULTS: After a mean of 4.7 years (2-9 years) since discharge from our hospital, 28 patients (54 %) had been free of seizures in the last 6 months. There were 16 patients (31 %) who had better situations in regard to seizures but were not completely seizure free, while 8 patients (15 %) were either unchanged (3 patients) or worse (5 patients). There were 39 patients (75 %) who had received conversation therapy, and 37 patients (71 %) had been treated by a psychologist or psychiatrist. There were 10 patients (19 %) who had dropped out of school or work, and the percentage increased with age. There were 42 patients (80 %) who perceived their health as good or very good. CONCLUSION: Patients had a relatively favourable seizure prognosis as 54% were free of seizures and 31% had a better seizure situation, at the time of this study. However, the fact that 19% had dropped out of school or work was worrying. Young age and satisfaction with treatment were associated with being employed or receiving education. Satisfaction with perceived treatment was significantly associated with personal experience of good health. This emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis, adapted interventional measures, and long-term follow-up by healthcare for young people with PNES.

Structural and functional changes associated with functional/dissociative seizures: A review of the literature.

INTRODUCTION: The term 'functional/dissociative seizures (FDS)' refers to a paroxysmal, transient clinical manifestation that may include motor, sensory, vegetative, psychological and cognitive signs, similar to the manifestations observed in epileptic seizures. In recent years, there has been an increase of literature in the field of brain imaging research on functional neurological disorders and, more specifically, on FDS. However, most of the studies have been carried out on limited samples. We propose an update of this review work by performing a systematic review of studies performed since 2017 in the field of neuroimaging in patients with FDS. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of the literature using the PRISMA methodology and reproduced most of the methodological elements of the latest systematic literature review. RESULTS: Our work over the last five years has identified 14 articles. It is still difficult to isolate a distinct structure or network specifically involved in the mechanism of FDS. However, certain structures are recurrently involved in imaging studies, notably the amygdala, the orbitofrontal cortex, and the anterior cingulate cortex. CONCLUSION: The contribution of neuroimaging may allow a more precise explanation of the disorder for patients, avoiding the stigma frequently associated with this diagnosis. as with other 'conversion' phenomena which have traditionally been considered only as 'medically unexplained'. In the longer term and beyond a better understanding of the physiopathology of the disorder, the challenge of this neuroimaging work would be to identify specific imaging biomarkers for a diagnosis of FDS.

Postoperative visual loss due to conversion disorder after spine surgery: a case report / Perda visual conversiva em pós-operatório de cirurgia de coluna: relato de caso

Abstract Background and objective Patients undergoing spinal surgeries may develop postoperative visual loss. We present a case of total bilateral visual loss in a patient who, despite having clinical and surgical risk factors for organic lesion, evolved with visual disturbance due to conversion disorder. Case report A male patient, 39 years old, 71 kg, 1.72 m, ASA I, admitted to undergo fusion and discectomy at L4-L5 and L5-S1. Venoclysis, cardioscopy, oximetry, NIBP; induction with remifentanil, propofol and rocuronium; intubation with ETT (8.0 mm) followed by capnography and urinary catheterization for diuresis. Maintenance with full target-controlled intravenous anesthesia. During fixation and laminectomy, the patient developed severe bleeding and hypovolemic shock. After 30 min, hemostasis and hemodynamic stability was achieved with infusion of norepinephrine, volume expansion, and blood products. In the ICU, the patient developed mental confusion, weakness in the limbs, and bilateral visual loss. It was not possible to identify clinical, laboratory or image findings of organic lesion. He evolved with episodes of anxiety, emotional lability, and language impairment; the hypothesis of conversion syndrome with visual component was raised after psychiatric evaluation. The patient had complete resolution of symptoms after visual education and introduction of low doses of antipsychotic, antidepressant, and benzodiazepine. Other symptoms also regressed, and the patient was discharged 12 days after surgery. After 60 days, the patient had no more symptoms. Conclusions Conversion disorders may have different signs and symptoms of non-organic origin,including visual component. It is noteworthy that the occurrence of this type of visual dysfunc-tion in the postoperative period of spinal surgery is a rare event and should be remembered asa differential diagnosis.

Resumo Justificativa e objetivo Pacientes submetidos a procedimentos cirúrgicos espinhais podem evoluir com perda visual pós-operatória. Apresentamos quadro de perda visual bilateral total em paciente que, apesar de apresentar fatores de risco clínicos e cirúrgicos para lesão orgânica, evoluiu com distúrbio visual conversivo. Relato de caso Masculino, 39 anos; 71 kg; 1,72 m; ASA I, admitido para realização de artrodese e discectomia em L4-L5 e L5-S1. Venóclise, cardioscopia, oximetria, PANI; indução com remifentanil, propofol e rocurônio; intubação com TOT 8,0 mm seguida por capnografia e diurese por sondagem vesical. Manutenção em anestesia venosa total alvo-controlada. Durante fixação e laminectomia, evoluiu com importante sangramento e choque hipovolêmico. Após 30 minutos obteve-se hemostasia e estabilidade hemodinâmica com infusão de noradrenalina, expansão volêmica e hemoderivados. Na UTI, evoluiu com confusão mental, fraqueza em membros e perda visual bilateral. Não foi possível identificar achados clínicos, laboratoriais ou de imagem para lesão orgânica. Evoluiu com episódios de ansiedade, labilidade emocional e distúrbio de linguagem; foi aventada hipótese de síndrome conversiva com componente visual após avaliação psiquiátrica. Apresentou melhoria total de sintomas visuais após educação e introdução de baixas doses de antipsicótico, antidepressivo e benzodiazepínico. Houve regressão dos demais sintomas com alta no décimo segundo dia pós-operatório. Encontrava-se assintomático após 60 dias. Conclusões Distúrbios conversivos podem apresentar diversos sinais e sintomas de origem nãoorgânica, incluindo componente visual. Destaca-se que a ocorrência desse tipo de disfunçãovisual no pós-operatório de cirurgias espinhais é evento raro e deve ser lembrado como diag-nóstico diferencial.

When a patient falls (asleep) and can't get up: conversion disorder - paraplegia following general anesthesia / Quando um paciente cai (no sono) e não consegue acordar: transtorno conversivo - paraplegia após anestesia geral

Abstract Background and objectives This case report describes the rare occurrence of paraplegia caused by conversion disorder in a woman who received general anesthesia for breast surgery. Case report A 46-year-old healthy woman received general anesthesia for excision of a left breast fibroepithelial lesion. In the post-anesthesia care unit, she reported bilateral loss of both sensation and motor function below the knees. Physical signs and symptoms did not correlate with any anatomical or neurological patterns; imaging revealed no abnormalities. Psychiatric consultation was performed wherein familial stressor circumstances were identified, leading to diagnosis and management of conversion disorder. Conclusion Conversion disorder is characterized by alteration of physical function due to expression of an underlying psychological ailment. Its diagnosis requires thorough evaluation including appropriate workup to exclude organic causes. The meshing together of anesthesiology and psychiatry - as demonstrated by this case report - offers an opportunity to highlight important information pertaining to the definition, diagnosis, and management of conversion disorder as it may be encountered in the postanesthesia recovery period.

Resumo Justificativa e objetivos Descrever a rara ocorrência de paraplegia causada por distúrbio conversivo em uma mulher que recebeu anestesia geral para a cirurgia de mama. Relato de caso Mulher saudável de 46 anos recebeu anestesia geral para excisão de uma lesão fibroepitelial na mama esquerda. Na sala de recuperação pós-anestesia, a paciente relatou perda bilateral de sensibilidade e motricidade abaixo dos joelhos. Os sinais físicos e sintomas não se correlacionavam com qualquer padrão anatômico ou neurológico; exame de imagem não revelou anormalidades. Uma consulta psiquiátrica foi feita e constatou circunstâncias familiares estressantes, o que levou ao diagnóstico e ao tratamento de transtorno conversivo. Conclusão O transtorno conversivo é caracterizado por alteração da função física devido à expressão de uma doença psicológica subjacente. Seu diagnóstico requer uma avaliação minuciosa, incluindo tratamento adequado para excluir causas orgânicas. O entrosamento de anestesiologia e psiquiatria, como demonstrado neste relato de caso, oferece uma oportunidade para destacar as informações importantes relativas à definição, ao diagnóstico e ao manejo do transtorno conversivo, pois esse transtorno pode ser encontrado no período de recuperação pós-anestesia.

Estridor y dificultad respiratoria: aproximación neurológica: caso clínico / Stridor and dyspnea caused by a conversion disorder: a case report

Paradoxical vocal cord motion or vocal cord dysfunction is a descriptive term for an inappropriate adduction of the vocal cords during respiration, which can cause respiratory obstruction and stridor. It is associated with psychiatric conditions in the great majority of cases. We report a 23 year-old high performance female athlete, referred for a recurrent bilateral paralysis of the vocal cords, with a history of four intensive care unit admissions for severe dyspnea and stridor, which were treated several times with intubation and with tracheostomy on two occasions. Myasthenia gravis was suspected and she was treated with pyridostigmine and prednisone. She was discharged but despite the treatment, she presented new episodes of stridor and was readmitted six months later. This time the pharmacological treatment was suspended. The neurological study disclosed a normal brain magnetic resonance, normal cerebrospinal fluid analysis and a normal electromyography. A conversion disorder was suspected and the patient was successfully treated with psychotherapy.