Early prognostic factors for acute encephalopathy with reduced subcortical diffusion

The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic factors for acute encephalopathy with reduced diffusion (AED) during the acute phase through retrospective case evaluation.

The participants included 23 patients with AED. The diagnosis of AED was based on their clinical course and radiological findings. We divided the patients into severe and non-severe groups based on the neurodevelopmental outcome. The severe group included seven patients (median age, 21 months; range, 6-87 months) and the non-severe group included 16 patients (19 months, 9-58 months). Clinical symptoms, laboratory data and electroencephalogram (EEG) findings within 48 h from the initial seizure onset were compared between the two groups to identify neurological outcome predictors.

The incidence of coma 12-24 h after onset, serum creatinine (Cr) levels within 2 h after onset, maximum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels within 24 h after onset, and the rate of electrographic seizures in EEG were significantly higher in the severe group (Coma, 80%; Cr, 0.40 mg/dl, 0.37-0.73; AST, 363 IU/L, 104-662; electrographic seizures, 80%) than the non-severe group (Coma, 0%; Cr, 0.29 mg/dL, 0.19-0.45; AST, 58.5 IU/L, 30-386; electrographic seizures, 0%).

Coma 12-24 h after onset, elevation of Cr levels within 2 h after onset, elevation of AST levels within 24 h after onset, and non-convulsive status epileptics (NCSE) in comatose patients were early predictors of severe AED. Patients in a coma after a febrile seizure should be checked for NCSE signs in EEG to terminate NCSE without delay.