Contralateral epileptiform transients in stroke (CETS)

Epileptiform discharges occurring either periodically (PLEDs) or nonperiodically ipsilateral to a cerebral infarction are well known. Also, bilateral independent periodic transients (BIPLEDs) can occur in strokes complicated by hypoxia and/or infection. We bring attention to an EEG event, not previously described to our knowledge, for which we propose the term "contralateral epileptiform transients in stroke (CETS)." This phenomenon is apparently rare and consists of nonperiodic spikes occurring singly and in bursts, sharp waves, or sharp-and-slow waves occurring contralaterally to an acute stroke. These discharges are unassociated with clinical seizure and appear to last longer than PLEDs or BIPLEDs. Sometimes, they may point to a contralateral cerebral and/or cardiac pathology.