JLE

Epileptic Disorders

MENU

Oral clomethiazole treatment for paediatric non-convulsive status epilepticus Volume 18, issue 1, March 2016

TEST YOURSELF

(1) What are the clinical features of non-convulsive status in children?


(2) In which situations does non-convulsive status occur?

 

 

 

 

 

See answers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Answers

(1) The clinical symptoms of NCSE are protean and require a high index of suspicion. The only symptom seen consistently is an alteration in mental state. This can range from mild confusion to profound impairment of consciousness. The manifestations are dependent largely on the level of cerebral development of the individual (age and cerebral integrity/development/maturity). In a child, this may result in reduced oral intake. At times, there can be fluctuation in the degree of impairment. They may be unsteady with excessive drooling. Though psychomotor retardation is most common, agitation and excitation can also occur.
Myoclonic jerks involving the face, eyelids, or extremities have also been noted, more commonly with absence status epilepticus. Automatisms may also occur and include lip smacking, orofacial movements, or hand/arm movements. Various language and cognitive difficulties, including aphasia, perseverations, echolalia, and confabulations, have also been noted.


(2) It is more common in certain childhood epileptic encephalopathies, syndromes and aetiologies, e.g. Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, Ring chromosome 20 and other karyotype abnormalities, Angelman syndrome, Rett syndrome, myoclonic-astatic epilepsy, and other childhood epileptic encephalopathies.
It can also occur in children with benign childhood epilepsies such as benign epilepsy with centro temporal spikes (BECTS) and Panayiotopoulos syndrome. It can also occur following acute symptomatic seizures associated with acute brain injury.

 

 

 

Back to questions