Resolved Psychosis after Liver Transplantation in a Patient with Wilson’s Disease

A psychiatric involvement is frequently present in Wilson’s disease. Psychiatric symptoms are sometimes the first and only manifestation of Wilson’s disease. More often a psychiatric involvement is present beside a neurologic or hepatic disease

Epilepsia partialis continua in cat scratch disease (vol 13, pg 191, 2004)

Cat scratch disease (CSD) is a world-wide, diffuse, non-epidemic infection caused by the Gram-negative bacillus Bartonella henselae. The occurrence of encephalopathy represents an infrequent and atypical complication, whose manifestations include ischemic strokes, transverse myelitis and epileptic seizures. Status epilepticus has been described as the most frequent emergency in CSD encephalopathy. In this report, we describe a case of CSD complicated by an epilepsia partialis continua (EPC) manifested as rhythmic movements of the flexor muscles of the left hand. Although CSD is a benign, self-limited disease and a complete neurological recovery usually occurs, in the present case the EPC resulted in a partial epilepsy. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and back-averaged EEG data recorded during myoclonic activity document this CSD complication

Altered EEG pattern in aromatic hydrocarbon intoxication. A case report.

A case of acute intoxication after both cutaneous and inhalatory absorption of a mixture of organic solvents (toluene and benzene) is reported. The peculiarity of this case is represented by the abnormal EEG findings: paroxysmal slow waves at the beginning of the intoxication, persisting, although attenuated, days after the patient's complete recovery. Moreover, the fact that other investigations were normal gives further support to the significance of routine EEG recording in monitoring the involvement of CNS in cases of acute exposure to aromatic organic solvents

Failure of naloxone to modify electroencephalogram interictal epileptiform discharges in patients with primary generalized epilepsy after sleep deprivation

Sleep deprivation (SD) is a method widely used to activate EEG epileptiform activity, but the basis of this effect remains unknown. One possibility is that SD shares a common mechanism with physical and psychological stresses that also precipitate seizures. Because endogenous opioids are released during stress, opioids may play a role in enhancing epileptiform EEG patterns after SD. We report the effects of SD on EEG epileptiform activity in a small but highly homogeneous population of 13 epileptic patients with idiopathic (primary) generalized epilepsy (IGE). SD increased EEG interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs); this activation was not modified by naloxone (NAL). Our results, in contrast to those of previous investigations of localization-related epilepsy, which showed an increase in IEDs after NAL administration, suggest a possible difference in the mechanism whereby SD enhances IEDs in IGE and localization-related epilepsy

Epilepsy in congenital lipodystrophy. Case report.

A case of congenital lipodystrophy complicated by complex-partial epilepsy is reported in a nine-year-old girl. The peculiarity of this rare case is represented by partial complex epilepsy with diffuse electroencephalographic alterations represented by a continuous seizure-like pattern that persisted unmodified despite the successful antiepileptic treatment. Although the etiopathology of lipodystrophy is, at present, still elusive, we hypothesize that the primitive dysfunction of lipidic metabolism plays a critical role in both determining central nervous system (CNS) alterations and the findings that characterized this extremely rare disease

Comparison of MRI, EEG, EPs and ECD-SPECT in Wilson's disease

Objectives - The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficiency of a few methodologies in detecting anatomo-functional brain abnormalities in patients with Wilson's disease. Materials and methods Twenty-three patients with Wilsons disease underwent almost simultaneously brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computerized electroencephalography (EEG), multimodal evoked potentials (EPs) and ECD single photon computerized tomography (SPECT) evaluation. The clinical picture was of the neurologic type in 8 patients and of the hepatic type in 15. Results MRI was abnormal in 7 patients with neurological manifestations. The EPs proved pathologic in 7 neurologically symptomatic patients and in 4 cases with hepatic form. These results agree with those reported in other case studies. The EEC records were abnormal only in 3 cases. Nevertheless, the most interesting finding of this study is the particular frequency (86%,) of diffuse or focal decrease of ECD uptake shown by brain SPECT. Conclusion - We highlight the use of this interesting procedure in the therapeutic monitoring of this disease