A case of hippocampal laminar necrosis following complex partial status epilepticus

Verbal and memory deficits caused by aphasic status epilepticus after resection of a left temporal lobe glioma

Background:

Nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) is induced by common neurosurgical conditions, for example, trauma, stroke, tumors, and surgical interventions in the brain. The aggressiveness of the treatment for NCSE depends on its neurological prognosis. Aphasic status epilepticus (ASE) is a subtype of focal NCSE without consciousness impairment. The impact of ASE on neurological prognosis is poorly documented. We describe a case of postoperative ASE resulting in verbal and memory deficits.

Case Description:

A 54-year-old, right-handed man with focal impaired awareness seizures underwent partial resection for a left temporal lobe tumor. No neurological deficits were observed immediately after surgery. Three days later, however, a focal to bilateral tonic-clonic seizure (FBTCS) occurred, followed by aphasia. Electroencephalography revealed 1.5 Hz left-sided periodic discharges. He was diagnosed with ASE. Multiple anti-seizure drugs were ineffective for the resolution of the patient’s verbal disturbance. Nine days after the FBTCS, deep sedation with intravenous anesthetics was performed and the ASE stopped. Thereafter, his symptoms gradually improved. However, the prolonged ASE resulted in verbal and memory deficits. Automated hippocampal volumetry revealed an approximate decrease of 20% on the diseased side on magnetic resonance imaging 3 months after surgery.

Conclusion:

Prolonged ASE can induce verbal and memory deficits. Early intervention with intravenous anesthetics is required to obtain a favorable neurological prognosis.

Heroin inhalation-induced unilateral complete hippocampal stroke

A 33-year-old man presented to our clinic with amnesia 48 hours after his first heroin inhalation. Examination showed lateral tongue biting and anterograde amnesia demonstrated by impaired performance on verbal and visual Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised tests carried out 10 days after onset, suggesting hippocampal involvement. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain was performed 48 hours after heroin snorting and evoked cortical laminar necrosis (CLN) of the left hippocampus without vascular abnormality. This is the first description of complete hippocampal CLN as a complication subsequent to acute intranasal heroine abuse. While the pathogenic mechanism remains uncertain, our case provides a very specific MRI lesion pattern and highlights the risk of intranasal heroin uptake-induced neurological complication.

Osmotic demyelination syndrome (central pontine and extrapontine myelinolysis with coagulative necrosis of the putamina and cortical laminar necrosis). A case report and review of the literature

Central pontine myelinolysis (CPM) and extrapontine myelinolysis (EPM) are disorders frequently associated with serum osmotic imbalance. The prognosis is very variable from complete regression of clinical symptomatology to signs of significant quadruparesis, a vegetative state and death. We report the case of a 25-year-old man with a diagnosis of osmotic demyelination syndrome. The patient was young healthy man with no history of chronic alcoholism or malnutrition. He underwent head trauma associated with consumption of alcohol, being diagnosed with cerebral commotion. Four days later he presented with generalised epileptic convulsions with unconsciousness. Laboratory findings showed significant hyponatremia and hypochlorinemia. Following the rapid correction of osmotic conditions of serum, spastic quadruparesis and coma developed. MRI of the brain showed finding of CPM and EPM, cortical laminar necrosis (CLN) and coagulative necrosis in the putamina. Our case is suggestive in the rare MRI appearance of myelinolysis in addition to CLN and coagulative necrosis in the basal ganglia following the rapid correction of serum osmolarity. We suggest that this finding is prognostically very unfavourable. In the reported patient clinically initial neurological deficit progressed to a vegetative state within one month.