Aphasic status epilepticus of frontal origin treated by resective surgery

Aphasic status epilepticus (SE) is a clinical entity of SE, but it has not been well recognized. We report a 43-year-old female with a chronic drug-resistant epilepsy with aphasic SE, treated by resective surgery. The patient showed long-lasting weekly episodes of hypokinesia, slow verbal response, and dysphasia, which were diagnosed as symptoms of aphasic SE. Magnetic resonance imaging showed encephalomalacia in the left frontal lobe with a hemosiderin rim. Intracranial electroencephalography revealed continuous spikes, predominantly on the left superior frontal gyrus with hemosiderin deposit. The aphasic symptoms were seen when ictal discharges gradually spread to the wide area of the left anterior frontal lobe, including the language area. The episodes of recurrent aphasic SE had disappeared by one year after the left anterior frontal resection. We should consider aphasic SE when language impairment is episodic, and consider surgical intervention in cases where it repeatedly occurs despite appropriate medical therapy.