Epilepsy Talks – Season 1

We understand that a tight schedule can make it increasingly difficult for you to read through long case reports. This podcast series comprises of complex case reports that you can listen to, on the go!

Epilepsy Talks!

Epilepsy due to vast presenting profile is more often than not misinterpreted, often misleading the care that follows the seizure episode. With overlapping symptoms and multiple comorbidities, optimum management can go a long way in improving the prognosis of the disease.

This podcast contains cases of:

1. Syncope Misinterpreted as Epilepsy

Neurocardiogenic syncope is the most frequent differential diagnosis in case of recurrent seizures with unclear diagnosis. A case of a woman in her 30s with recurrent seizures since her childhood was misdiagnosed with epilepsy until she was finally found to have recurrent vaso-vagal syncope.

2. Bilateral Electroconvulsive Therapy in a With Major Depressive Disorder and Seizure Disorder

Management of anti-epileptic drugs and benzodiapines during electroconvulsive therapy poses challenges, especially in patients with seizure disorders. Levetiracetam IR when administered as the evening dose a day prior to the procedure and temporarily discontinuing zonisamide prior to bilateral electroconvulsive therapy could be an effective option for the treatment of severe Major Depressive Disorder while maintaining seizure prophylaxis.

3. Eyelid Myoclonus with Tonic-Clonic Seizures

Eyelid myoclonus with or without epilepsy is rare with the risk of being easily misdiagnosed leading to administration of the wrong epileptic such as carbamazepine which would play a role in exacerbating the disease. Here, a case of eyelid myoclonic status with tonic-clonic seizures is described.

4. Incidence of Psychosis of Epilepsy in a Pregnant Patient

Chronic interictal psychosis has a prevalence of about 5% in patients with seizure disorders and can include negative symptoms and cognitive decline. A case report of pregnant women with epileptic episodes and pyschosis has been described here.

Adapted from:

  1. Chaumont C, Bourilhon J, Chastan N, Mirolo A, Eltchaninoff H, Anselme F, Recurrent seizures in a young woman: when video-EEG diagnoses a cardiac cause: a case report. European Heart Journal. 2020; 4(5):1-6. doi: 10.1093/ehjcr/ytaa236.
  2. McGrane IR, Tenison RE, Bimler DM, Munjal RC, Molinaro JR, Successful bilateral electroconvulsive therapy in a patient with a seizure disorder taking levetiracetam, lorazepam, and zonisamide: A case report. Mental Health Clinician. 2021;11(1):23-26. doi: 10.9740/mhc.2021.01.023.
  3. Yuan Y, Yang F, Huo L, Fan Y, Liu X, Wu Q, Case Report: A Case of Eyelid Myoclonic Status With Tonic–Clonic Seizure and Literature Review. Frontiers in Pediatrics. 2021. doi: 10.3389/fped.2021.671732.
  4. Fahed M, Ramanathan S, Psychoses of Epilepsy in Pregnancy: A Case Report. Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience. 2021; 19(2): 388 – 390. doi: 10.9758/cpn.2021.19.2.388.