acyclovir and Epilepsies--Partial

Nonconvulsive status epilepticus is a specific form of status epilepticus characterized by alteration in mental status and persistent seizure activity on EEG, with or without motor phenomena. Recognition of the consequences of nonconvulsive status epilepticus has attracted greater attention to this condition. We present a 24-year-old woman with epilepsy who developed nonconvulsive status epilepticus during pregnancy. Despite treatment with antiepileptic drugs, the seizures persisted and confusion deepened. Further workup to explain the etiology revealed the diagnosis as herpes encephalitis. She recovered completely by the third day of parenteral acyclovir administration. Herpes simplex encephalitis causing nonconvulsive status epilepticus in a pregnant, epileptic woman is an unfortunate and unusual condition, which was simultaneously complicated by the presence of multiple etiological factors.

Topics: Acyclovir; Adult; Antiviral Agents; Electroencephalography; Encephalitis, Herpes Simplex; Epilepsies, Partial; Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious; Status Epilepticus

This case report is presented to raise the awareness of the potential risk of reactivation of herpes simplex virus (HSV) encephalitis after intracranial surgery.. The case of an 8-year-old male patient who suffered a reactivation of HSV encephalitis after undergoing amygdalohippocampectomy for complex partial seizures is reported. This patient had previously contracted HSV 1 meningoencephalitis at the age of 16 months. Six years later, a left amygdalohippocampectomy was proposed after the development of intractable partial epilepsy associated with left mesial temporal lesions. During the postoperative period, the patient suffered severe clinical deterioration with partial status epilepticus, aphasia, and hyperthermia, which resolved after intensive antiepileptic treatment supported by acyclovir.. We advise prophylactic pre-, peri-, and postoperative treatment with acyclovir for patients with known histories of HSV encephalitis who undergo intracranial procedures.

Topics: Acyclovir; Antiviral Agents; Child; Encephalitis, Viral; Epilepsies, Partial; Herpesvirus 1, Human; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Postoperative Complications; Recurrence; Sclerosis; Temporal Bone

Authors report about a boy with Rasmussen syndrome. This is a chronic localised encephalitis with focal epileptic seizures causing progressive neurologic deficits and mental impairment. The etiology and the clinical features of the syndrome are discussed, and the diagnostic role of the new imaging modalities is emphasized. This is the first report about this entity in Hungary.

Topics: Acyclovir; Carbamazepine; Child, Preschool; Electroencephalography; Encephalitis; Epilepsies, Partial; Humans; Hungary; Intellectual Disability; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Phenytoin; Syndrome; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

For the electroencephalographer, focal temporal periodic complexes have been strongly associated with herpes simplex virus encephalitis (HSVE). The appearance and subsequent disappearance of these complexes has generally been held to herald a poor prognosis. This report involves an elderly man with HSVE who survived with no neurologic deficits despite the presence and later disappearance of periodic sharp complexes. This supports the view that the periodic complexes are more a function of the pathophysiologic changes caused by HSVE as opposed to a marker of tissue injury.

Topics: Acyclovir; Aged; Electroencephalography; Encephalitis; Epilepsies, Partial; Evoked Potentials; Herpes Simplex; Humans; Male