Epilepsy research
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Stroke is an important cause of symptomatic epilepsy especially in the elderly. Seizures in the setting of stroke will furthermore worsen the prognosis of stroke. Studies show that the frequency of seizures in stroke ranges between 2.3% and 14%. ⋯ There are no clear cut guidelines for the treatment of seizures in stroke and hence treatment needs to be initiated in the context of the patient. The presence of co morbid conditions and the use of other drugs also complicate antiepileptic therapy, and the risk of drug interactions is a particular hazard in elderly patients on multiple co medication. Although hemorrhagic and ischaemic stroke can both result in epilepsy, this review focuses primarily the association of epilepsy and ischaemic stroke.
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Carefully selected pediatric patients undergo hemispherectomy (HS) for treatment of refractory epilepsy. HS is associated with a mortality rate of 0-6.6% across studies, mostly due to acute hemorrhage. The purpose of this study was to evaluate in-hospital mortality and predictors of the need for blood transfusion during HS in a large, nationwide cohort in recent years. ⋯ In-hospital mortality of HS is low, and blood transfusion was performed in over one third of patients. There appear to be several risk factors that can predict the likelihood of transfusion and may warrant close observation before hemispherectomy.