Neurogenic pulmonary oedema in a 13-year-old boy in the course of symptomatic epilepsy--case report

Pulmonary oedema with severe, dramatic course following CNS injury was termed neurogenic pulmonary oedema (NPO). NPO was mainly described as a consequence of grand mal seizures, subarachnoid bleeding, intracranial bleeding or head injury. However, the pathogenesis of NPO is not entirely clear yet. In the majority of cases, early or classic symptoms of pulmonary oedema are evident from several minutes up to several hours after CNS damage. Dyspnoea, chest pain, bloody expectoration are observed shortly after consciousness disorders, although NPO may occasionally be diagnosed on the basis of chest x-ray in patients with no clinical symptoms. Tachypnoea, tachycardia, rales without any changes in cardiac system are usually observed during physical examination. The ailments withdraw quickly in the majority of patients, who may require oxygen therapy at most. NPO has been well-known in adults, but our knowledge of its occurrence in children is still rather sparse. The current work presents a case of a 13-year-old boy with pulmonary oedema as a post-seizure complication.