Prognosis of post-stroke status epilepticus: Effects of time difference between the two events

This study aimed to investigate the prognosis of patients with status epilepticus (SE) following stroke, focusing on the timing of SE after the event and other unexplored variables.

All consecutive patients experiencing post-stroke SE (PSSE) in our center were included (2011-2016). We analyzed SE- and stroke-related factors in relation to the patients' outcome.

95 patients with PSSE (54 ischemic and 41 hemorrhagic stroke) were analyzed; 40 were women (42.1%) and mean age was 72.7 ± 13.56 years. 51(53.7%) showed prominent motor symptoms, 49(51.6%) needed >2 antiepileptic drugs, and 27(28.4%) required anesthetics. Median duration of SE was 12 h (1-240). Median time from stroke to SE was 15 days (0-532). At discharge, logistic regression identified SE within 72 h after stroke (p = 0.004), baseline mSTESS (p = 0.009), and lesion volume (p = 0.001) as independent factors predicting mortality. Female sex (p = 0.019), SE duration >12 h (p = 0.005), temporal lobe involvement (p = 0.029), and stroke-to-SE time <90 days (p < 0.0001) were independent predictors of functional decline. At long-term follow-up, SE occurring within 72 h after stroke (p = 0.0001), SE duration (p = 0.004), and baseline mSTESS score (p = 0.012) remained as predictive of mortality.

The timing of SE after stroke is associated with different consequences: mortality was higher when SE occurred within the first 72 h after stroke and this risk persisted at follow-up, whereas risk of functional decline was higher when SE occurred during the first 3 months. Other factors such as the mSTESS score and SE duration were associated with outcome at both discharge and long-term follow-up.