Epilepsy prevalence in a rural area in Istanbul.

This study is a field study with cross-section and case control conducted in the Kucukcekmece Region of Istanbul between June 1999 and February 2000. Four hundred and ninety three dwellings selected by a simple random sampling method were visited. From a population of 2187, 58 people, after filling in a questionnaire were suspected to have epilepsy.

Recurrent absence status epilepticus: clinical and EEG characteristics.

In order to outline the clinical and EEG characteristics of recurrent absence status epilepticus (ASE), eight cases with more than two attacks of ASE were studied. Their current ages were between 13 and 84 years, and five of the patients were women. There was a history of epilepsy in five of the patients before the first ASE episode.

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis: clinical and magnetic resonance imaging evaluation of 36 patients.

We studied 36 patients (24 males, 12 females), all of whom had definite subacute sclerosing panencephalitis with typical periodic complexes in their electroencephalograms and increased titers of measles antibody in serum and cerebrospinal fluid. Their clinical and laboratory findings on admission were reviewed retrospectively. The age at onset of symptoms varied from 4 to 23 years.

Hot water epilepsy: clinical and electrophysiologic findings based on 21 cases.

Purpose: Our aim is to outline the clinical and electroencephalographic (EEG) features of patients with hot water epilepsy (HWE), a rare and unique form of reflex epilepsy.

Methods: Twenty-one patients with HWE, seen in our clinic until 1999, were studied. Male outnumbered female subjects in a ratio of 3:1.

Perioral myoclonia with absence seizures: a rare epileptic syndrome.

We present the clinical and video-EEG data on an epileptic boy whose absence seizures with marked perioral movements had started at the age of 1.5 years. From age 12 years, he experienced frequent episodes of typical absence status epilepticus (ASE) lasting 1-2 hours with marked perioral myoclonia and moderate confusion.

Correlation between clinical stages and EEG findings of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis.

In this retrospective study 67 patients with SSPE seen between the years 1980 and 1998 were reviewed. Using the criteria of SSPE diagnosis (clinical signs, characteristic EEG patterns, high titres of measles antibodies in the serum and CSF), the patients were divided into two groups. Group A fulfilled all criteria, however, due to the inability of measuring measles antibody before 1987, it was not possible to observe the third criterion in Group B.

Longterm follow-up of electroencephalographic and clinical findings of a case with Gaucher's disease type 3a.

Among three recognised clinical phenotypes, type 3a Gaucher's disease is characterised by mild to severe systemic disease, neurological manifestations and myoclonic seizures. We report the long term clinical and electrophysiological follow-up of a 27-year old man with a diagnosis of type 3a Gaucher's disease, which was confirmed by bone marrow biopsy examination and leukocyte glucocerebrosidase level measurement. His neurological examination was normal throughout the follow-up period.

Periodic lateralized epileptiform discharges: association with seizures.

The clinical features and EEGs of 45 consecutive patients (40 adults and 5 children) who had periodic lateralized epileptiform discharges (PLEDs) were reviewed to determine the relationship between seizures and PLEDs. Focal encephalitis and ischemic stroke were the most frequent underlying processes for adult patients. All of the children, but only six of the adults, had long-lasting cerebral disorders whereas the remaining adults had acute or subacute illness.

Nose wiping: an unrecognized automatism in absence seizures.

Nose wiping is a well-known postictal automatism in complex partial seizures, considered very important for lateralization. We report a 24-year-old woman selected from 32 patients with video-EEG investigations of absence seizures. The patient, with normal examination and imaging findings, had typical absence seizures from the age of 5 years, which were controlled with either ethosuximide or valproate and worsened by carbamazepine.