Diagnostic evaluation and management of seizures and status epilepticus in children with known epilepsy or new-onset seizures: A retrospective and comparative analysis.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to describe and compare the initial management, including clinical/biological investigation and treatment, of new-onset seizures and status epilepticus (SE) in children versus seizures and SE in those with known epilepsy. METHODS: This was a retrospective, single-center, observational study conducted in an urban pediatric hospital in Paris. All patients, aged from 1 month to 18 years, admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit, the high-dependency care unit, and those who required hospitalization in the short-term unit of the emergency department between January 1 and December 31, 2014 for seizures and/or SE were included. RESULTS: We analyzed the data of 190 children: new-onset seizures (N=118; group A) versus those with known epilepsy (N=72; group B). At least one diagnostic test was performed on 156 patients (82.1%) (group A, N=104, 88.1%; group B, N=52, 72.2%; P=0.05). In group B, blood levels of antiepileptic drugs were measured in 14 of the 38 patients with SE, of whom six were under dosed. Treatments were: first line, diazepam (group A, 80%; group B, 46%; P<0.001); second line, diazepam (group A, 56%; group B, 34%; P=0.02) or clonazepam (group A, 24%; group B, 46%; P=0.001); third line, phenytoin (group A, 54%; group B, 22%; P<0.001) or clonazepam (group A, 18%; group B, 61%; P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Diagnostic evaluation and treatment should be individualized for children with known epilepsy.

[Minoxidil intoxication, the pharmacological agent of a hair lotion]. / Intoxication par le minoxidil, principe actif d'une lotion capillaire. À propos d'un cas.

Accidental intoxications in children are frequent but most of them are without serious consequences. We describe herein the case of a young girl who drank 100 mg of a topical hair lotion with minoxidil. On arrival, she had no symptoms except flush on the face and ears. Four and half hours after ingestion, tachycardia appeared with a pulse above 170 beats per min with hypotension at 76/24 mmHg. The heart rate remained between 170 and 190 beats per min for 12 h and then lowered to between 140 and 160 beats per min. Thirty-six hours after ingestion, the heart beat was at 140 beats per min. Minoxidil is a strong vasodilator used first in the 1970s for severe hypertension. It produces hypotension by direct arteriolar vasodilatation. Only a few cases of minoxidil intoxication have been described in the literature, including only one pediatric case. This young boy had only tachycardia of 160 beats per min for 40 h. Most serious cases have been described in adults. They suffered long-lasting tachycardia, hypotension, and ECG changes. Most patients need a bolus of normal saline fluid and some with hemodynamic problems need vasoactive drugs such as dopamine and/or phenylephrine. All patients need to be under medical supervision for a long time because of the product's very long action.

[Neurological complications revealing infectious endocarditis: 2 case reports]. / Complications neurologiques révélatrices d'une endocardite infectieuse : à propos de 2 cas.

Neurological signs are reported in less than 20% of infectious endocarditis (IE) cases. The most frequent complications include cerebral infarction, intracerebral hemorrhage, meningitis, and mycotic aneurysm. We describe two patients, one with congenital heart disease and the other with normal heart, who presented neurological manifestations and fever leading to an IE diagnosis. Neurological complications may be the first symptom of infectious endocarditis and are a major factor associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Early diagnosis and early treatment will minimize cardiac and neurological morbidities.

[Benign afebrile seizures in rotavirus gastroenteritis]. / Convulsions non fébriles bénignes associées à une gastro-entérite aiguë à rotavirus chez l'enfant.

Benign afebrile seizures associated with mild gastroenteritis and normal serum electrolytes are often described in Asian infants under the name of convulsions with mild gastroenteritis (CwG). Herein, we report 3 cases of CwG that occurred in Caucasian children. Clinical features and outcomes are described and the cases reported in the literature are reviewed. The CwG syndrome is now recognized as a distinct entity characterized by the following criteria: (1) it occurs in previously healthy 6-month to 3-year-old children who present with afebrile convulsions, (2) it is associated with mild gastroenteritis, (3) seizures tend to occur in a clustered manner, (4) interictal EEG shows no paroxysmal discharge, and (5) laboratory examinations are normal, including normal cerebrospinal fluid, serum electrolytes and glycemia. The CwG syndrome is a self-limited disease with a short course and a good prognosis. Investigations must be targeted and anticonvulsivant therapy is not required. As rotavirus is the most common agent among the diarrheal viruses detected to be the cause of CwG, one could hypothesize that this virus may play a role in the CwG pathogenesis.