Emergency management of epileptic seizures: a consensus statement.

This consensus statement was developed to optimize the emergency management of epileptic seizures in prehospital and hospital settings. A list of clinical questions was drafted and the literature on the emergency treatment of epileptic seizures was reviewed by a multidisciplinary team of emergency physicians, neurologists, and pediatric neurologists from 3 associations: the Spanish Epilepsy Society (SEEP), the Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine (SEMES), and the Spanish Neurology Society (SEN). The team members first answered the questions individually and then discussed them during a meeting of experts from the 3 associations, to reach consensus on the content of the present statement.

Detecting Atrial Fibrillation in Patients With an Embolic Stroke of Undetermined Source (from the DAF-ESUS registry).

Atrial fibrillation (AF) causes a substantial proportion of embolic strokes of undeterminded source (ESUS). Effective detection of subclinical AF (SCAF) has important therapeutic implications. We conducted a prospective study to determine the prevalence of SCAF in patients with ESUS through of a 21-day Holter monitoring.

Episodes of loss of consciousness in a patient with a background of cerebral venous thrombosis.

Episodes of loss of consciousness are common, even in young, healthy people, and can sometimes represent a diagnostic challenge. The main diagnoses to consider are syncope and epileptic seizures, both of which may have similar symptomatology such as dizziness, loss of consciousness, falls, or "convulsive" phenomena. We present the case of a young male patient with a background of two venous thrombosis episodes (superior vena cava thrombosis and cerebral venous thrombosis), attributed to protein C and S deficiency and complicated by high intracranial pressure.

Genetic causes of epilepsy.

Background: The contribution of genetic factors to the origin of different epilepsies is a fact established by epidemiological, clinical, and molecular studies. These studies have made it possible to identify numerous mutations in different genes that cause or predispose to the development of certain types of epilepsy.

Review Summary: The study of single-gene epilepsies has contributed relevant data regarding the pathophysiology of epilepsy.

Clinical implications of mechanisms of resistance to antiepileptic drugs.

Background: Despite the currently available armamentarium of antiepileptic drugs, seizures are not adequately controlled in about one-third of epileptic patients. The mechanisms of antiepileptic drug resistance are multiple and not fully clarified.

Methods: We conducted a literature search in PubMed and the Cochrane Library databases with the terms: "Drug Resistance" [MeSH] and "Epilepsy" [MeSH],

Limits: added to PubMed in the last 5 years, only items with abstracts, English, Spanish, Humans.