ObjectiveTo explore the prognostic value of normal 24 hour video electroencephalography (VEEG) with different frequency on antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) withdrawal in cryptogenic epilepsy patients with three years seizure-free.
MethodsA retrospective study was conducted in the Neurology outpatient and the Epilepsy Center of Xi Jing Hospital. The subject who had been seizure free more than 3 years were divided into continual normal twice group and once group according to the nomal frequence of 24 hour VEEG before discontinuation from January 2013 to December 2014, and then followed up to replase or to December 2015. The recurrence and cumulative recurrence rate of the two group after withdrawal AEDs were compared with chi-square or Fisher's exact test and Kaplan-Meier survival curve. A Cox proportional hazard model was used for multivariate analysis to identify the risk factors for seizure recurrence after univariate analysis. P value < 0.05 was considered significant, and all P values were two-tailed.
Results95 epilepsy patients with cause unknown between 9 to 45 years old were recruited (63 in normal twice group and 32 in normal once group). The cumulated recurrence rates in continual two normal VEEG group vs one normal VEEG group were 4.8% vs 21.9% (P=0.028), 4.8% vs 25% (P=0.006) and 7.9% vs 25%(P=0.03) at 18 months, 24 months and endpoint following AEDs withdrawal and there was statistically difference between the two groups. Factors associated with increased risk were adolescent onset epilepsy (HR=2.404), history of withdrawal recurrence (HR=7.186) and abnormal VEEG (epileptic-form discharge) (HR=8.222) during or after withdrawal AEDs. The recurrence rate of each group in which abnormal VEEG vs unchanged VEEG during or after withdrawal AEDs was respectively 100% vs 4.92% (P=0.005), 80% vs 19.23%(P=0.009).
ConclusionsContinual normal 24h VEEG twice before withdrawal AEDs had higher predicting value of seizure recurrence and it could guide physicians to make the withdrawal decision. Epileptic patients with adolescent onset epilepsy, history of seizure recurrence and abnormal VEEG (epileptic-form discharge) during or after withdrawal AEDs had high risk of replase, especially patients with the presence of VEEG abnormalities is associated with a high probability of seizures occurring. Discontinuate AEDs should be cautious.
Objective
To explore the efficacy of low to moderate doses of levetiracetam in adult patients with newly diagnosed partial epilepsy and possible predictors for poor treatment response.
Methods
We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of patients treated in West China Hospital from March 2011 to December 2015 whose clinical data were input into the Epilepsy database. Patients with newly diagnosed partial epilepsy and whose initial anti-epileptic drug was levetiracetam were screened out for this study. Their clinical data, especially responses to the treatment of levetiracetam were reviewed.
Results
Ninety-six patients were included in this study. Seventy-one of them achieved seizure-free for a complete year after initial treatment of levetiracetam. Forty-eight patients (50.0%) achieved seizure-free with levetiracetam monotherapy; 23 patients (24.0%) achieved seizure-free for one year with levetiracetam combination therapy. Sixty-nine (97.2%) of the 71 patients achieved seizure-free with low to moderate doses of levetiracetam (500 to 1 500 mg/day), with or without combination of other antiepileptic drugs. High baseline seizure frequency before initial therapy was an independent predictor of poor levetiracetam response in this multivariate logistic regression mode (P=0.019).
Conclusions
Low to moderate levetiracetam is both effective and well tolerated in newly diagnosed partial epilepsy patients. High baseline seizure frequency before initial therapy is an independent predictor of poor levetiracetam response.
Intracranial electrographic recording, especially stereoencephalography (SEEG), remains the gold standard for preoperative localization in epilepsy patients. However, this method is invasive and has low spatial resolution. In 1982, magnetoencephalography (MEG) began to be used in epilepsy clinics. MEG is not affected by the skull and scalp, can provide signals with high temporal and spatial resolution, and can be used to determine the epiletogensis zone (EZ) and the seizure onset zone (SOZ). Magnetic source imaging (MSI) is a method that superimposes the MEG data on a magnetic resonance image (MRI) and has become a major tool for presurgical localization. The applicability of MEG data has been largely improved by the development of many post-MRI processing methods in the last 20 years. In terms of the sensitivity of localization, MEG is superior to VEEG, MRI, PET and SPECT, despite inferiority to SEEG. MEG can also assist in the intracranial placement of electrodes and improve preoperative planning. Limitations of MEG include high cost, insensitivity to radiation source, and difficulty in locating deep EZ in the medial regions of the brain. These limitations could be overcome by new generations of equipment and improvement of algorithmics.
ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical electrophysiological characteristics of Cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 gene induced developmental epileptic encephalopathy (CDKL5-DEE). MethodsThe clinical data and series of video EEGs of children with CDKL5-associated developmental epileptic encephalopathy (CDKL5-DEE) who were admitted to the Children’s Medical Center of Peking University First Hospital from June 2016 to May 2024 were retrospectively analyzed. Results A total of 16 patients with CDKL5-DEE were enrolled, including 13 females and 3 males. All patients had de novo variants of CDKL5 gene, including 6 cases of missense variants, 5 cases of frameshift variants, 4 cases of nonsense variants, and 1 case of large fragment deletion. The age of onset was 8 days (d) after birth ~1 year (y) and 10 months (m), and the median age was (85.94±95.76) days. Types of seizures at onset: 4 cases of tonic seizures [age of onset 10~52 days, median age (25.5±15.84) days]; There were 5 cases of focal seizures [age of onset 8 d~8 m, median age (77.76±85.97) d]. There were 4 cases of epileptic spasmodic seizures [age of onset 3 m~1 y 10 m, median age (6.25±3.49) m]; There were 2 cases of bilateral tonic-clonic seizures [age of onset 30~40 days, median age (35.00±5.00) days]; focal concurrent epileptic spasm seizures 1 case (age of onset 2 m). A total of 59 VEEG sessions were performed in the pediatric EEG room of Peking University First Hospital for 4 hours. All the results were abnormal, including 26 normal background, 25 slow rhythm difference with background, and 8 no background. The interictal was 16 posterior or focal discharges, 19 multifocal discharges, 17 generalized or accompanied by focal/multifocal discharges, and 7 hypsarrhythmia; The ictal was 33 epileptic seizures, 6 myoclonic seizures, 5 focal seizures, 2 tonic-clonic seizures, 2 atypical absence seizures, 2 tonic seizures, 1 myoclonic sequential focal seizure, 1 focal sequential epileptic spasm, and 1 hypermotor-tonic-spasms. The background of patients within 6 months of age was normal, and the background abnormality increased significantly with age. generalized discharges are evident after 2 years of age between seizures. Conclusion CDKL5-DEE seizures have an early onset and are refractory to medications. Epileptic spasms are the most common type of seizure in every patient and long-lasting, with generalized seizures increasing markedly with age. EEG is characterized by a normal background within 6 months. With the increase of age, the background and interictal discharges have a tendency to deteriorate.
ObjectiveTo analyse the seizure semeiology of MRI negative insular epilepsy.MethodsA case of patient with insular epilepsy who presented in Epileptic Center, Guangdong 999 Brain Hospital was collected. Related literatures were thoroughly reviewed.ResultsThe patient was diagnosised as insular epilepsy by SEEG and postoperative pathology reported focal cortical dysplasia Ib.ConclusionsThe insula lobe is a part of the limbic system, and the seizure semeiology in insular epilepsy is varied. Seizure semeiology analysis is particularly important in the evaluation of presurgical especially in a MRI negative case. In this paper, we summarized the semeiology characteristics of various parts of insula lobe, and provided some references for the diagnosis and treatment of insular epilepsy.
ObjectiveExploring the influencing factors of acute phase (≤ 21 days) seizures and epilepsy in patients with Herpes simplex virus encephalitis (HSE) in our hospital, including emergency and inpatient wards, mainly from the perspective of the number of mNGS of Herpes simplex virus (HSV) in cerebrospinal fluid. MethodsFrom January to Octomber 2023, 28 emergency and inpatient patients in our hospital were collected, excepted clinical datas were not detailed. In the end, 24 patients with HSE diagnosed were included in the study, and their clinical datas were collected, including age, gender, acute encephalitis syndrome, the form of the seizure and the number of seizures, time of lumbar puncture, and various indicators of cerebrospinal fluid [pressure, protein, cell count (mononuclear and multinucleated cells), metagenomic Next-generation sequencing (mNGS), neural autoantibodied associated with autoimmune encephalitis], electroencephalogram, cranial imaging examination reports, and treatment plans.ResultsA total of 24 patients were enrolled, including 9 patients with a history of hypertension and 4 patients with a history of diabetes. There were 18 males and 6 females, with an average age of (53.17±17.19) years. The maximum age was 73 years old, and the minimum age was 21 years old. Among the 24 patients, one patient first presented to the local hospital and then transferred to our hospital for lumbar puncture, so the time from the onset of the disease to lumbar puncture was 30 days, and the other patient’s family members refused to complete lumbar puncture at first,so the time of lumbar puncture was 14 days from the onset of the disease. The remaining 22 patients were all completed lumbar puncture within 7 days of onset, and all emergency patients completed lumbar puncture within 24 hours of admission to the Emergency Department. mNGS results: 23 cases were HSV-1, and the remaining 1 case was HSV- 2. There were a total of 6 cases of seizures and epilepy in the acute phase (≤21 days), with focal or generalized seizures or epileptic status as the main form, and 2 cases of seizures occurred. Among these 8 patients, 5 showed lesions in the frontal and temporal lobes on enhanced cranial MRI, while the other 3 showed no specific features. At the same time, mNGS of cerebrospinal fluid suggested that the sequence number of HSV was greater than 3 000 was related with seizures and epilepsy with acute HSE. Conclusion Seizures and epileysy in acute HSE were related with the presences of intracranial cortical involvement,and the number of viral sequences in mNGS was closely related to acute phase seizures and epilepsy.
ObjectiveTo analyze the clinical characteristics and corresponding genetic features of epilepsy related to fever sensitivity. MethodsRetrospectively review 29 children with epilepsy related to fever sensitivity who were diagnosed and treated in the Department of Pediatric Neurology of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2017 to December 2022, with complete clinical data and underwent molecular genetic testing. Fill in the clinical data registration form in detail, and retrospectively summarize their clinical characteristics, electroencephalogram (EEG) manifestations, neuroimaging examinations, the selection of antiepileptic drugs, curative effects, and evaluate and follow up the developmental indicators. ResultsAmong the 29 children with epilepsy related to fever sensitivity, there were 13 males (44.8%) and 16 females (55.2%); 10 cases (34.5%) were Dravet syndrome, 3 cases (10.3%) were genetic epilepsy with febrile seizures plus (GEFS+), and 1 case (3.4%) was PCDH19 gene-related epilepsy. The age of onset ranged from 2 to 25 months. Among them, 19 cases (65.5%) had an onset age of 2 to 12 months, and 10 cases (34.5%) had an onset age greater than 12 months. In 1 case of GEFS+ child, all seizures occurred after fever, and in the other 28 children, afebrile seizures were present. The interval between the first febrile seizure and the appearance of afebrile seizures was 0.09 to 116 months; the age of appearance of afebrile seizures was 5 to 134 months. There were 6 cases (20.7%) with a single seizure type, and 23 cases (79.3%) with 2 or more seizure types. There were 24 cases (82.8%) with generalized tonic-clonic seizures, 9 cases (31.0%) with generalized tonic seizures, 18 cases (62.1%) with focal seizures, 4 cases (13.8%) with absence seizures, and 1 case (3.4%) with spasm seizures. 10 cases (34.5%) of children had status epilepticus, and 13 cases (44.8%) had cluster seizures. 16 cases (55.2%) of children had a positive family history, among which 8 cases (27.6%) had a family history of febrile seizures, and 11 cases (37.9%) had a family history of afebrile seizures/epilepsy; during the initial visit and follow-up, 22 cases (75.9%) were found to have developmental delays of varying degrees. Pathogenic/suspected pathogenic gene variants/copy number variants clearly related to epilepsy were detected in 20 cases, with a detection rate of 68.9%, including SCN1A gene variants (11 cases), GABRB2 gene variants (1 case), GABRG2 gene variants (1 case), PCDH19 gene variants (1 case), SPTBN1 gene variants (c.1081_c.1097delAACTTGGAAGTGCTGCTinsCA, 1 case), ASNS gene variants (c.146G>A, 1 case), copy number variants in the 4p16.3 region (3 cases), and copy number variants in the 16p11.2 region (1 case). Among them, the gene variants of SPTBN1 and ASNS are novel gene variants that have not been previously reported in China for epilepsy related to fever sensitivity. ConclusionEpilepsy related to fever sensitivity mostly occurs in infancy, with diverse seizure patterns, varying degrees of severity of clinical symptoms, often accompanied by status epilepticus and cluster seizures, and mostly combined with developmental delays of varying degrees. This study found that the gene variants of SPTBN1 and ASNS, which have not been previously reported in China, may be rare pathogenic genes for epilepsy related to fever sensitivity.
ObjectiveTo preliminarily explore the damage effect of stereo electroencephalogram-guided radiofrequency thermocoagulation after increasing the number of electrodes in the epileptic foci.MethodsEight cases were included from 42 patients requiring SEEG from the Department of Neurosurgery of the Second Hospital of Lanzhou University during June 2017 to Jan. 2019, of which 6 cases were hypothetical epileptogenic foci located in the functional area or deep in the epileptogenic foci that could not be surgically removed, 2 patients who were unwilling to undergo craniotomy; added hypothetical epileptic foci Electrodes, the number of implanted electrodes exceeds the number of electrodes needed to locate the epileptic foci. After radiofrequency thermocoagulation damages the epileptogenic foci, the therapeutic effect is analyzed.ResultsIn 8 patients, the number of implanted electrodes increased from 1 ~ 6, with an average of (4±2.2), and the number of thermosetting points increased by 2 ~ 10, with an average of (7±3.1); follow-up (9±3.2) months, Epilepsy control status: 3 cases of Engel Ⅰ, 3 cases of Engel Ⅱ, 2 cases of Engel Ⅲ; 8 cases of epileptic seizure frequency decreased≥50%. There was a statistically significant difference in the frequency of attacks before and after thermocoagulation (P<0.05).ConclusionsIncreasing the lesion volume of the epileptic foci can obviously improve the efficacy of epilepsy. SEEG-guided radiofrequency thermocoagulation is an effective supplementary method for classical resection.
At present, there are few studies on patients with epilepsy (PWE) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), and the results of many studies are inconsistent. SARS-CoV-2 may cause new seizures through a variety of mechanisms, and the susceptibility and mortality of PWE to SARS-CoV-2 remains controversial. During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, anxiety, depression and other psychological problems were common among epileptic patients. Clinicians providing telemedicine, telephone chat and video call can effectively reduce the risk of psychological disorders in PWE patients. At the same time, there are many interactions between antiepileptic drugs and various antiviral drugs, which should be carefully considered when using. Considering that the research results are few and many studies contradict each other, PWE and SARS-CoV-2 deserve further exploration in future studies.
ObjectiveTo analyze the risk factors for seizures in patients with autoimmune encephalitis (AE) and to assess their predictive value for seizures. MethodsSeventy-four patients with AE from the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from January 2016 to March 2023 were collected and divided into seizure group (56 cases) and non-seizure group (18 cases), comparing the general clinical information, laboratory tests and imaging examinations and other related data of the two groups. The risk factors for seizures in AE patients were analyzed by multifactorial logistic regression, and their predictive value was assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. ResultsThe seizure group had a higher proportion of acute onset conditions in the underlying demographics compared with the non-seizure group (P<0.05). Laboratory data showed statistically significant differences in neutrophil count, calcitoninogen, lactate dehydrogenase, C-reactive protein, homocysteine, and interleukin-6 compared between the two groups (all P<0.05). Multi-factor logistic regression analysis of the above differential indicators showed that increased C-reactive protein [Odds ratio (OR)=4.621, 95% CI (1.123, 19.011), P=0.034], high homocysteine [OR=12.309, 95CI (2.217, 68.340), P=0.004] and onset of disease [OR=4.918, 95% CI (1.254, 19.228), P=0.022] were risk factors for seizures in AE patients, and the area under the ROC curve for the combination of the three indicators to predict seizures in AE patients was 0.856 [95% CI (0.746, 0.966)], with a sensitivity of 73.2% and a specificity of 83.3%. ConclusionHigh C-reactive protein, high homocysteine and acute onset are independent risk factors for seizures in patients with AE, and the combination of the three indices can better predict seizure status in patients.
