Neuroimaging features in a patient with non-ketotic hyperglycaemic seizures: A case report

Non-ketotic hyperglycaemic (NKH) seizures are a rare neurological complication of diabetes caused by hyperglycaemia in non-ketotic and non-hyperosmotic states. The clinical characteristics of NKH seizures are atypical and lack unified diagnostic criteria, leading to potential misdiagnoses in the early stages of the disease.

This report presents a rare case of NKH seizures in a 52-year-old male patient with a history of type 2 diabetes mellitus. We performed comprehensive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies at admission, 12 d post-admission, and 20 d post-discharge. The imaging techniques included contrast-enhanced head MRI, T2-weighted imaging (T2WI), fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR), diffusion-weighted imaging, susceptibility-weighted imaging, magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), and magnetic resonance venography. At the time of admission, T2WI and FLAIR of the cranial MRI showed that the left parieto-occipital cortex had gyrus-like swelling and high signal, and subcortical stripes had low signal. MRS showed a reduced N-acetylaspartate peak and increased creatine and choline peaks in the affected areas. A follow-up MRI 20 d later showed that the swelling and high signal of the left parieto-occipital cortex had disappeared, and the low signal of the subcortex had disappeared.

This case study provides valuable insights into the potential pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of NKH seizures. The comprehensive MRI findings highlight the potential utility of various MRI sequences in diagnosing and characterizing NKH seizures.