Massive lamotrigine poisoning. A case report.

Lamotrigine (LTG) represents the most commonly prescribed of the so-called new generation antiepileptic drugs. We describe a child who was admitted to the emergency room because of generalized tonic-clonic status epilepticus followed by a complex neurological picture with hyperkinesia and acute ataxia as a result of a LTG intoxication. The experience on acute LTG intoxication is very limited in pediatrics. The present case provides information on the clinical picture related to LTG overdose and confirms that drug intoxications should be considered in the differential diagnosis strategy when severe and polymorphic neurological symptoms occur acutely.

Lacosamide efficacy in epileptic syndromes with continuous spike and waves during slow sleep (CSWS).

BACKGROUND: Epileptic syndromes with continuous spikes-waves during sleep (CSWS) represent a wide spectrum of epileptic disorders having CSWS as a common EEG-feature. Defined therapeutic strategies are still lacking. We evaluated the efficacy of lacosamide add-on therapy on the EEG, behavior, and cognition in children with CSWS. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eight children with CSWS refractory to other conventional antiepileptic drugs were included in the study. A 24-h EEG recording was performed at 6-month-interval in all patients. The spike-wave index (SWI) was obtained in each 24-h EEG recording. Neuropsychological data were obtained before lacosamide introduction and after a minimum of 12 months of therapy. RESULTS: After a 6-month period of therapy, 75% of patients was defined as responder, 12.5% as partial responder and another 12.5% as non-responder. In particular, 24-h EEG normalized in 3 cases (37%). After a minimum of 12 months, 24-h EEG normalized in another patient while two patients showed electroclinical relapses. A total of 62.5% of patients was therefore defined as responder. Neuropsychological functions slightly improved in 25% of patients. CONCLUSION: Although further studies are needed to validate our observations, this study suggests that lacosamide add-on therapy may be safe and effective in children affected by CSWS.

Lacosamide in children with refractory status epilepticus. A multicenter Italian experience.

OBJECTIVE: Status epilepticus (SE) is considered a life-threatening medical emergency. First-line treatment with antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) consists of intravenous benzodiazepines followed by phenytoin. SE is considered refractory (RSE) when unresponsive to standard doses of the first two AEDs. Scarce evidence is available to support specific guidelines for the management of RSE in either adults or children. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and tolerability of intravenous (iv) lacosamide (LCM) in children affected by RSE. METHOD: Children with RSE who were treated with ivLCM were included in the study. Efficacy was defined as the cessation of seizures after administration of ivLCM, with no need for any further antiepileptic drug. All patients had been unsuccessfully treated following standard protocols before ivLCM was administered. RESULTS: Eleven children entered the study (mean age: 9.4 years). Etiology was symptomatic in 7 patients (63%). RSE was convulsive (focal or generalized) in 6 patients and nonconvulsive in 5. The mean initial bolus dose of LCM was 8.6 mg/kg. The drug, which was used as a fourth or later option, was effective in stopping RSE in 45% of patients, with seizures terminating within 12 h in three children. No serious adverse events attributable to LCM were reported. CONCLUSIONS: LCM might be an effective and well-tolerated AED in children with RSE.

Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome: potassium ascorbate with ribose therapy in a syndrome with high neoplastic risk.

BACKGROUND: Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome (BWS) is a genomic imprinting disorder characterized by overgrowth and increased risk of malignancy. We studied the oxidative stress (OS) pattern of our patients with BWS and administered, for the first time, potassium ascorbate with ribose (PAR) once a day as long-term therapy in order to correct the effects induced by free radicals. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We describe the clinical features of three patients examined every three months in our clinic. OS was ascertained by measuring a panel of OS biomarkers: non-protein-binding iron, total hydroperoxides, advanced oxidation protein products, isoprostanes, carbonyl groups and thiols. After the presence of OS was established, treatment with PAR was started at the dosage of 300 mg of Potassium Bicarbonate and 150 mg of Ascorbic Acid in aqueous solution and changes occurring in OS biomarkers were followed dosing every three months. RESULTS: Our patients showed higher levels of OS biomarkers than controls at the time of diagnosis. There was a reduction in OS biomarker values for all three patients with treatment. No primary or secondary neoplastic disease was observed in 9 months of follow-up. CONCLUSION: This is the first report showing OS occurring in BWS. No drug until this report has been published showing efficacy against OS in any cancer. Given the limited number of patients, care must be taken to mitigate enthusiasm. We are collecting data for a large number of BWS patients to confirm these preliminary results.

Epilepsy, speech delay, and mental retardation in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy.

Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is one of the most common muscular dystrophies which is related to the deletion of tandem repeats on chromosome 4q35. Extramuscular features such as hearing loss, retinopathy, mental retardation, and epilepsy, may be observed in patients carrying large 4q35 deletions resulting in fragment sizes less than 12 kilobases (kb) (normal >35 kb). We report on a family affected by FSHD carrying a small 4q35 deletion and residual fragments length of 17 kb, presenting with epilepsy (three patients), speech delay (two), and mental retardation (one). In all patients semeiology of seizures and interictal EEG anomalies were congruent with a localization-related epilepsy possibly involving the temporal lobe. In conclusion, we provide further evidences that extramuscular findings such as epilepsy, speech delay, and mental retardation may occur in those patients carrying smaller 4q35 deletions, suggesting that a close correlation between 4q35 fragment size and clinical severity in FSHD is therefore not constant. Moreover, a review of the literature and our observations seem to suggest that focal epilepsies, likely related to the temporal lobe in the present family, represent the main type of epilepsy occurring in children with FSHD.

Late-onset childhood occipital epilepsy (Gastaut type): a family study.

Late onset childhood occipital epilepsy-Gastaut type (LOCOE) is a rare idiopathic epilepsy syndrome with an uncertain long-term prognosis. Elementary visual hallucinations and interictal spike-and-wave complexes in the occipital areas represent the main electroclinical findings of the syndrome. The functional nature of LOCOE has been emphasized together with the presence of genetic predisposition in the affected patients. Here, we report on two families in which two patients, respectively, showed electroclinical features compatible with LOCOE. Although further studies are needed to validate our observations, the involvement of two generations in one of the families we studied may corroborate the previously formulated hypothesis of an autosomal dominant model of inheritance in LOCOE. Of course, the identification of larger families is propaedeutic to linkage analysis studies.

Epilepsy and electroencephalographic anomalies in chromosome 2 aberrations. A review.

UNLABELLED: Epilepsy and electroencephalographic (EEG) anomalies are common in subjects carrying chromosomal aberrations. We report clinical and EEG investigations on 13 patients carrying chromosome 2 anomalies, including two patients with inversions, six with translocations, two with partial duplications and three with interstitial deletion syndromes. Epilepsy and/or EEG anomalies were found in one patient with a chromosome 2 translocation, in both of those carrying partial duplications and in all three with interstitial deletion syndromes. No epilepsy or EEG anomalies were detected in the remaining patients. CONCLUSIONS: Epilepsy may be associated with chromosome 2 aberrations. Gross rearrangements involving the long arm of chromosome 2 might be more often associated with epilepsy than those involving the short arm. The association of epilepsy with chromosome 2 duplications is less clear. In particular, our observations and a review of the literature appear to suggest that a strict relationship between epilepsy and interstitial deletions involving the 2q24-q31 region. In the latter disorder tonic and focal seizures occur early in life. Generalized and focal myoclonic jerks tend to appear in infancy and are subsequently followed by seizures mixed in type. Seizures usually persist up to late childhood and are drug resistant. Further studies are necessary to better define the electroclinical patterns of patients carrying deletions in 2q24-q31. These may help to direct systematic study of this--probably underestimated--cause of severe epilepsy.

Photoparoxysmal responses in children with chromosomal aberrations.

Electroencephalographic (EEG) anomalies and epilepsy are commonly observed in the clinical picture of patients with chromosomal aberrations. However, no investigations have been performed on the relationship between chromosomal disorders and photoparoxysmal response (PPR). In this study, we evaluate the characteristics of PPRs elicited with intermittent photic stimulation during a routine electroencephalogram in children affected by chromosomal anomalies and correlated this with the clinical profile of the child. A review of the literature has also been performed. PPRs occurred in 14% (4/28) of patients. PPRs were brief (

Surgery removes EEG abnormalities in patients with Chiari type I malformation and poor CSF flow.

OBJECTIVE: To study the outcome of EEG from patients with Chiari I malformations and nonspecific EEG abnormalities, after posterior fossa decompression and CSF flow normalization. METHODS: Three 'apparently asymptomatic' children who had been diagnosed with Arnold-Chiari type 1 EEG abnormalities and who exhibited (a) a wide range of abnormalities according to common anatomical Chiari MRI classifications (Elster AD, Chen MY. Chiari I malformations: clinical and radiologic reappraisal. Radiology 1992;183:347-53), (b) a lack of specific, clinical signs of increased intracranial pressure, and (c) apparently unrelated, EEG-nonspecific abnormalities (focal intermittent rhythmic delta activity (IRDA)--solely in patients 1 and 3, and with focal IRDA plus spikes and spike waves of high voltage in patient 2). Standard EEGs were recorded before surgery and within one month of surgery, which was performed in conjunction with intraoperative echo-Doppler ultrasonography to control CSF flow. Subsequent EEGs and clinical follow-ups were performed within 6-12 months of surgery. RESULTS: In all patients, intraoperative echo-Doppler ultrasonographic control demonstrated poor CSF flow, which was completely restored by posterior fossa decompression. In all patients, the EEG abnormalities disappeared within one month of surgery and the EEGs were normal at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: A new CNS symptom, identified as focal IRDA alone or focal IRDA plus spikes and spike waves of high voltage in the EEG, seems to be associated with poor CSF flow in 'apparently asymptomatic' patients with Chiari type I malformations. SIGNIFICANCE: The identified, paroxysmal EEG abnormalities should be interpreted as an indirect sign of subtle CNS distress.

Myoclonic encephalopathy in the CDKL5 gene mutation.

OBJECTIVE: Epilepsy with mutation of the CDKL5 gene causes early seizures and is a variant of Rett syndrome (MIM (312750), which is reported typically as infantile spasms. The purpose of this study was to analyze the epileptic histories and EEGs of patients with the CDKL5 mutation. METHODS: We reviewed the epilepsy histories and electroclinical analyses of three girls aged 9.5, 7.4, and 9.4 years, each with a mutation of the CDKL5 gene. RESULTS: We revealed the presence of an encephalopathy that started by 1.5 months of age. At first, seizures involved tonic spasms or complex partial seizures, and were complicated by the later appearance of complex partial, tonic, and unexpectedly, myoclonic seizures. This form of epilepsy was drug resistant. Routine and prolonged video EEGs both displayed a homogeneous electroclinical pattern consisting of (a) unique background with diffuse high voltage sharp waves of 6-7 Hz, and absence of the typical rhythmic frontal-central theta activity present in Rett syndrome; (b) unique awake and sleep background, with diffuse, high voltage, continuous sharp waves with multifocal and diffuse spikes; (c) rhythmic, diffuse, 15 Hz activity accompanied clinically by tonic seizures; (d) intercritical pattern with pseudoperiodic, diffuse, sharp waves or pseudoperiodic, diffuse spike and polyspike or wave discharges; and (e) diffuse, spike, polyspike and wave discharges accompanied by massive or focal myoclonias or both. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with the CDKL5 mutation have an early onset, epileptic encephalopathy in infancy that evolves into myoclonic seizures in childhood with a unique EEG pattern. SIGNIFICANCE: Recognizing this type of encephalopathy could be useful in prompting clinicians to proceed further with their diagnostic work in patients not fitting the criteria of classical Rett syndrome.

Childhood absence epilepsy: evolution and prognostic factors.

PURPOSE: To evaluate how diagnostic criteria influence remission rates for patients with childhood absence epilepsy (CAE) and to assess clinical and EEG parameters as predictors of outcome. METHODS: One hundred nineteen patients were diagnosed with CAE, according to International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) classification criteria. They were subsequently evaluated according to stricter diagnostic criteria. Sixty-two subjects fulfilled these criteria as group 2; 57 did not and constituted group 1. Diagnostic parameters that prevented patients of group 1 from entering group 2, and variables such as sex, familial history of generalized epilepsy, and personal history of febrile convulsions also were tested as prognostic factors for terminal remission. RESULTS: Compared with those in group 1, patients of group 2 had significantly higher rates of seizure control (95% vs. 77%), higher rates of terminal remission (82% vs. 51%), fewer generalized tonic-clonic seizures (8% vs. 30%), and shorter mean periods of treatment (2.2 vs. 3.8 years). Significantly fewer patients were receiving polytherapy in group 2 than in group 1 (11% vs. 47%), and fewer patients had seizure relapses at antiepileptic drug discontinuation (0 vs. 22%). CONCLUSIONS: Remission rates of patients with CAE are greatly influenced by the classification criteria used for selection. Stricter diagnostic criteria allow the definition of a homogeneous group of patients with excellent prognosis. Factors predicting unfavorable prognosis were generalized tonic-clonic seizures in the active stage of absences, myoclonic jerks, eyelid myoclonia or perioral myoclonia, and EEG features atypical for CAE.

Typical absence seizures associated with localization-related epilepsy: a clinical and electroencephalographic characterization.

INTRODUCTION: This paper describes the characteristics of patients with typical absence seizures associated with localization related epilepsy (LRE) and compares electroclinical features of absences occurring in these patients with those having childhood absence epilepsy (CAE). METHODS: Consecutive patients presenting with both LRE and typical absences in their epilepsy history were included in the study (Group 1). Clinical assessments and EEG investigations were conducted during the follow-up. Patients observed during the same period, but with typical absences fulfilling the CAE diagnostic criteria, were assigned to a second group (Group 2). RESULTS: Fourteen patients were included in Group 1. These patients had a mean age at their last visit of 11.3 years (range 7.2-16.8), with a mean follow-up period of 6.8 years. In all patients LRE was the first type of seizure to occur at median age of 4.95+/-2.1 years (range 1.9-8.8). Typical absences appeared at median age of 7.5+/-2.5 years (range 4.5-12.5), and were well controlled by therapy. Ictal EEG and semiology features of typical absences did not show any distinctive features when compared to those of Group 2 represented by 53 patients affected by CAE. However, age at onset was significantly higher in Group 1, as was the number of patients who underwent polytherapy, and the number with relapses after drug discontinuation. None of patients in Group 1 showed terminal remission. CONCLUSION: Although clinically heterogeneous and rare, the association of LRE with typical absences may be more than coincidental. In these patients, typical absences responded well to therapy, but terminal remission rates were lower than for CAE patients.

Epilepsy and electroencephalographic findings in pericentric inversion of chromosome 12.

Epilepsy, together with mental retardation, represents a common manifestation of chromosomal aberrations. Specific electroencephalographic (EEG) and epileptic patterns have been described in several chromosomal disorders, such as Angelman's syndrome, Miller-Dieker syndrome, Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, and ring 20 syndrome. A peculiar electroclinical pattern has also been identified in trisomy 12p syndrome. We report three patients with a pericentric inversion of chromosome 12, with breakpoints localized to p11-q13 and affected by epilepsy or EEG anomalies. Two suffered from epilepsy, which, in the clinical course, was mainly characterized by complex partial seizures with a semiology related to the temporal lobe. In one patient, myoclonic absences, head drop, and massive jerky attacks were also present. In both patients, generalized 3 Hz bursts were registered, together with multifocal and focal paroxysmal activity, which were most prominent in the temporoparietal and temporal areas, respectively. In the other patient, who had no epilepsy, EEG showed bioccipital paroxysmal activity. In all patients, the clinical picture was characterized by the presence of moderate mental retardation and behavioral disorders. The incidence of epilepsy or EEG anomalies among patients with a pericentric inversion of chromosome 12 remains to be ascertained. However, the present study confirms that chromosome 12 anomalies can be associated with epilepsy. Although myoclonic absence-like episodes can occasionally be part of the epileptic phenotype, the electroclinical pattern in pericentric inversion of chromosome 12 seems to be more polymorphic when compared with that observed in trisomy 12p syndrome.

Electroencephalographic and epileptic patterns in X chromosome anomalies.

Although epilepsy and mental retardation are commonly observed in individuals with chromosomal aberrations, the identification of EEG/epileptic profiles in those with specific chromosome anomalies remains difficult. A few syndromes seem to show peculiar clinical and EEG associations. The authors report an electroclinical investigation on a group of patients carrying X chromosome anomalies: 16 patients with Turner's syndrome, 17 with Klinefelter's syndrome, 1 with an X-autosomal rearrangement, 2 with Xq isochromosome [Xq(i)], and 7 with triple X syndrome. Epilepsy and/or EEG anomalies were found in three of the patients with Klinefelter's syndrome, in one patient with an X-autosomal rearrangement, and in five of those with triple X syndrome. No epilepsy or EEG anomalies were detected in the other patients. Epilepsy may be associated with Klinefelter's syndrome. In addition, the authors found that an electroclinical pattern, represented by paroxysmal activity in the posterior regions (temporo-parieto-occipital areas) with complex partial seizures and easily controlled by antiepileptic drugs, may be present in patients with triple X syndrome. In contrast, gross X-autosomal rearrangements are associated with polymorphic EEG/epileptic findings. Although further studies are needed to validate these observations, they clearly confirm the strict relationship between X chromosome anomalies and epilepsy.

Epilepsy in neurofibromatosis 1.

Neurofibromatosis 1 is the most common neurocutaneous disease. Neurologic manifestations are mainly represented by tumors such as optic gliomas, focal areas of high T2-weighted signal known as unidentified bright objects, and mental retardation or learning disabilities. The prevalence of seizures has been reported to range from 3.8 to 6%. In the present study, we evaluated prevalence, type, and etiology of epilepsy in a neurofibromatosis 1 population. A retrospective analysis of 198 patients affected by neurofibromatosis 1 was performed. Fourteen patients (7%) were found to be epileptic. Every patient underwent electroencephalographic examination and neuroimaging investigations. Thirteen were submitted to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study and one to computed tomographic (CT) scanning. Single-photon emission computed tomographic and positron emission tomographic studies were performed in a few selected cases. Seizures were partial in 12 of these (85%) and generalized in 2 (15%). In nine (64%), epilepsy was secondary to brain lesions: five of these had cerebral tumors (three with epilepsy as the fist symptom), three had cortical malformation, and one had mesial temporal sclerosis. Seizures were controlled rapidly in eight (57%) and drug resistant in four (29%). Two patients were lost at follow-up. All patients with uncontrolled seizures had severe mental retardation, and three of these had malformations of cortical development. Our observations and our re-evaluation of the literature indicate that patients with neurofibromatosis 1 have an increased risk of epilepsy related to intracranial masses and cytoarchitectural abnormalities, and seizures can represent the first symptom of a tumor or cortical malformation. Brain MRI and, in selected cases, functional studies appear to be useful in patients with neurofibromatosis 1 who present with seizures, especially if associated with mental retardation.

Schinzel-Giedion syndrome: a further cause of West syndrome.

Schinzel-Giedion syndrome (SGS) is a rare disorder with a likely autosomal recessive pattern of inheritance which is characterized by several facial dysmorphisms, midface hypoplasia, multiple skeletal anomalies including short and sclerotic skull base, short neck, and post-axial polydactyly. Cardiac and urogenital malformations are also present. Thirty-three cases have been described so far. We report on a boy affected by SGS in whom a long-term EEG follow-up showed a progressive deterioration of the background bioelectric activity ending, at the age of 19 months, with a hypsarrhythmic pattern clinically correlated with severe and refractory infantile spasms. EEG deterioration and neuroradiological findings, which showed progressive brain atrophy, confirm the neurodegenerative nature of SGS. We also re-evaluated all the published cases and found that 33% of patients with SGS experienced neonatal seizures and another 25% developed West syndrome in the following months. The seizures appeared extremely refractory to several anticonvulsive treatments. In conclusion, we believe that SGS should be included among the causes of secondary West syndrome.