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A 15-year epileptogenic period after perinatal brain injury
Insights
Neonatal seizures from perinatal stroke can lead to epilepsy years later. This case highlights a prolonged silent period, suggesting a higher epilepsy risk and longer epileptogenic process in affected newborns.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pediatrics
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Neonatal seizures are common neurological events.
- Perinatal stroke causes 12-18% of neonatal seizures.
- Up to 39% of children with neonatal seizures develop epilepsy.
Observation:
- A case report of a patient with stroke-related neonatal seizures.
- Developed focal symptomatic epilepsy at 15 years of age.
- Epileptic focus co-localized with the ischemic brain lesion site.
Findings:
- This case demonstrates a prolonged silent period (15 years) before epilepsy onset.
- Suggests newborns with neonatal stroke-related seizures are at increased risk for epilepsy.
- The epileptogenic process can persist for over a decade.
Implications:
- Highlights the long-term risk of epilepsy following neonatal stroke.
- Emphasizes the need for extended monitoring in children with neonatal seizures.
- Informs understanding of the chronicity of epilepsy development after early brain injury.
Abstract:
Seizures are a frequent acute neurological event in the neonatal period. Up to 12 to 18% of all seizures in newborns are due to perinatal stroke and up to 39% of affected children can then develop epilepsy in childhood. We report the case of a young patient who presented stroke-related seizures in the neonatal period and then developed focal symptomatic epilepsy at 15 years of age, and in whom the epileptic focus was found to co-localize with the site of his ischemic brain lesion. Such a prolonged silent period before onset of remote symptomatic epilepsy has not previously been reported. This case suggests that newborns with seizures due to a neonatal stroke are at higher risk of epilepsy and that the epileptogenic process in these subjects can last longer than a decade.