Evaluating the prevalence and risk factors for depression in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis: A cross-sectional multicenter study.

Background: Epilepsy frequently accompanies Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Notably, people with temporal lobe epilepsy and hippocampal sclerosis may face an increased susceptibility to MDD, as evidence indicates the involvement of the limbic system in the development of emotional symptoms.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence and predictors of depression in temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis (TLE-HS) and compare them to those of other epilepsy types.

The impact of the time to last seizure before admission to the epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) on epilepsy classifications.

Introduction And Background: The impact of the timing of the last seizure (TTLS) prior to admission to the epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) on epilepsy classification is unclear for which we conducted this study.

Methods: We reviewed patients with epilepsy admitted to EMU between January 2021 and April 2022 and identified TTLS before EMU admission. We considered EMU yield as whether; it confirmed epilepsy classification, added new knowledge to the classification, or failed to classify epilepsy.

Unmet Needs and Treatment of Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis in Saudi Arabia: Focus on the Role of Ofatumumab.

Treatment-pattern data suggest that some patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) may not be receiving optimal treatment. A virtual meeting of ten expert Saudi neurologists, held on October 23, 2020, discussed unmet needs in relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), and the role of ofatumumab as a suitable treatment in the KSA. Multiple unmet needs were identified: poor quality of life, with high rates of depression and anxiety; a negative impact of MS on work ability; treatment choices that may compromise efficacy for safety or vice versa; inconvenient or complex dosage regimens; and limited access to patient education and support.

Association between serum vitamin D levels and age in patients with epilepsy: a retrospective study from an epilepsy center in Saudi Arabia.

Background: Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to various medical conditions such as bone loss, decreased mineralization, endocrine disorders, and central nervous system disorders, including epilepsy. Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent among patients with epilepsy (PWE). However, the specific association between vitamin D levels and age in PWE is unclear.

The disease course of multiple sclerosis before and during COVID-19 pandemic: A retrospective five-year study.

Introduction: COVID-19 pandemic is thought to influence the natural history of immune disorders, yet the knowledge on its effect on multiple sclerosis (MS) is unknown and not fully understood for which we conducted this retrospective study.

Methods And Materials: We included all patients with MS seen in King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between January 2017 and October 20201. We determined clinical and radiological evidence of disease activities in all patients by the end of the study period, and we compared the disease patterns before and during the pandemic.

Lock-Down Effect on the Mental Health Status of Healthcare Workers During COVID-19 Pandemic.

The psychological impact that outbreaks and pandemics could inflict on healthcare workers has been widely studied; yet, little is known about the impact of the lockdown measures. To assess the magnitude of depression and anxiety among healthcare professionals before and after lifting of the lockdown restrictions in Saudi Arabia. Surveys targeting healthcare workers were circulated twice: during the lockdown, and 8 weeks after lifting of lockdown.

The safety and efficacy of modifying the admission protocol to the epilepsy monitoring unit in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted admission to epilepsy monitoring units (EMUs) for classification and presurgical evaluation of patients with refractory epilepsy. We modified the EMU admission protocol via anti-seizure medications (ASM) withdrawal implemented one day before admission; thus, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of this modified protocol.

Methods: In January 2021, we initiated ASM tapering 24 h before-rather than on the first day after-EMU admission, contrasting with the previous protocol.

The role of brain magnetic resonance imaging on the timing of antiepileptic drugs withdrawal following mesial temporal lobe epilepsy surgery.

Objectives: To assess the influence of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain findings on the timing of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) withdrawal following anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL) in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from Jan, 2004 - Dec, 2017 of patients with MTLE who underwent ATL and included patients who had a minimum of 2 years of follow-up. We evaluated the association between the time required to start tapering and discontinuing AEDs after ATL in patients with Engel class I outcomes and their preoperative brain MRI.

Seizure outcome after epilepsy surgery for patients with normal MRI: A Single center experience.

Objective: To analyze the surgical outcome in non-lesional intractable focal epilepsies in our center and to find possible predictors for better outcome.

Methods: This is a retrospective study for 40 adult patients with intractable focal epilepsy following at KFSHRC-Riyadh, who underwent presurgical evaluation followed by resective surgery and continued follow up for a minimum of 2 years. The surgery outcome was evaluated based on the type of surgical procedure and histopathology results.

Consanguinity in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy due to hippocampal sclerosis in a Saudi population.

Objective: To investigate if there is an association between consanguinity and hippocampal sclerosis (HS) in the Saudi population.

Methods: A retrospective case-control study was conducted by assessing the prevalence of consanguinity in patients with pathologically proven HS, who underwent epilepsy surgery at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between January 2004 and December 2015. We reviewed the medical records to extract data, which included; age, gender, duration of epilepsy, history of febrile seizure, family history of epilepsy in a first or second-degree relative, and pathology reports.

The Optimal Dose of Amobarbital in the Wada Test for the Presurgical Evaluation of Patients With Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.

Objective: The use of amobarbital in the Wada test varied between epilepsy centers, with no unified dosing or protocols available in the literature to standardize its use. We aimed to determine the dose of amobarbital in the presurgical evaluations of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy.

Methods: A retrospective study of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy seen between January 2004 and December 2018 in King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was conducted, and those who successfully underwent a Wada test were studied.

Effects of fasting during Ramadan on seizure control and quality of life in patients with epilepsy.

Background: During Ramadan, the ninth month of the lunar Islamic calendar, adult Muslims are obliged to fast, which involves refraining from taking any food, beverages, or oral medications from dawn to sunset. Fasting's effect on seizure control is not fully understood, and a few observational studies have provided inconclusive results. This study aimed to investigate the effect of fasting during Ramadan on seizure control and quality of life in adult patients with epilepsy.

Impact of a family history of epilepsy on the diagnosis of epilepsy in Southern Saudi Arabia.

Purpose: Epilepsy can develop at any age for reasons that remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of a family history of epilepsy (FHE) on the incidence and recurrence of seizures.

Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in Aseer central hospital, Abha, Saudi Arabia between January and June 2012.

Levetiracetam may worsen myoclonus in patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy: case reports.

Levetiracetam was approved for generalized and partial epilepsy in pediatric and adult population. It is also an effective antimyoclonus, but the evidence only supports its use as an adjunctive agent along with other antiepileptic drugs, such as sodium valproate, and it is commonly used in cases with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy. We report here 2 cases with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy who were switched from sodium valproate to levetiracetam to avoid the cosmetic or future teratogenic effect, but this switch was associated with exaggerated myoclonus despite escalating the dose of levetiracetam but resolved completely after reintroducing sodium valproate.

Ramsay Hunt syndrome with multiple cranial neuropathies in a liver transplant recipient.

Ramsay Hunt syndrome is an infection of the head and neck caused by varicella zoster virus involving the facial nerve; less commonly, other cranial nerves might be involved. We report a case of Ramsay Hunt syndrome in an immune compromised patient, with classic facial nerve palsy and ipsilateral ear vesicles, which rapidly evolved to involve multiple cranial neuropathies, and improved dramatically with antiviral therapy and corticosteroids. Varicella zoster virus should be considered as a cause of multiple cranial neuropathies in an immune compromised patient, and abrupt treatment with acyclovir should be initiated once this diagnosis is suspected.

Management of women with epilepsy. Practical issues faced when dealing with women with epilepsy.

Epilepsy is commonly encountered in neurology practice, affecting more than 50 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization reports. Management of women with epilepsy requires attention to some considerations including the hormonal changes and its impact on epilepsy, the interaction between oral contraceptives and antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), pregnancy, and the potential teratogenic risk associated with AEDs use during that period. Similarly, the effect of AEDs on bone health should always be considered, and measures should be taken to reduce the risk of osteoporosis given the fact that women in their menopause are at increased risk.

Sporadic hemiplegic migraine with seizures and transient MRI abnormalities.

Hemiplegic migraines are characterised by attacks of migraine with aura accompanied by transient motor weakness. There are both familial and sporadic subtypes, which are now recognised as separate entities by the International Classification of Headache Disorders, edition II (ICHD-II). Sporadic hemiplegic migraine is a rare variant of migraine, We report a case of sporadic hemiplegic migraine and seizures with MRI features suggestive of cortical hyper intensity and edema on T2 and FLAIR images with no restriction pattern on diffusion and these changes completely resolving over time, suggesting that these changes are due prolonged neuronal depolarization and not of ischemic origin.