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A 30-year-old woman presented to the emergency department after an episode of "dizziness" that caused her to lose control of her car. During the preceding 12-month period she had had recurrent "dizzy" spells and abdominal pains for which she was evaluated by several physicians in various emergency departments. Physical and general neurological examination on presentation was within normal limits. Outpatient CT scan was normal, and an EEG revealed a right temporal lobe spike with slow wave pattern suggestive of temporal lobe focus. Since begun on therapeutic doses (300 mg per day of phenytoin), the patient has not experienced further spells or abdominal pains. This report emphasizes the need to be cognizant of an underlying seizure disorder as a possible etiologic agent responsible for a traumatic incident.
A 30-year-old woman presented to the emergency department after an episode of "dizziness" that caused her to lose control of her car. During the preceding 12-month period she had had recurrent "dizzy" spells and abdominal pains for which she was evaluated by several physicians in various emergency departments. Physical and general neurological examination on presentation was within normal limits. Outpatient CT scan was normal, and an EEG revealed a right temporal lobe spike with slow wave pattern suggestive of temporal lobe focus. Since begun on therapeutic doses (300 mg per day of phenytoin), the patient has not experienced further spells or abdominal pains. This report emphasizes the need to be cognizant of an underlying seizure disorder as a possible etiologic agent responsible for a traumatic incident.