Posttraumatic epilepsy in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans.

Penetrating traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a well-established risk factor for post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE). However, many veterans in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) who suffer from TBI do so from blast injury, and its consequences are not fully known. Two neurologists performed a chart review to describe patterns of injury and health care among all 16 OEF/OIF veterans at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System who were assigned an outpatient diagnosis of both epilepsy and TBI in 2008-2009.

Quantification and localization of EEG interictal spike activity in patients with surgically removed epileptogenic foci.

Objective: To demonstrate if interictal spike activity was localized within the resected area in surgically treated epilepsy patients; and if there is correspondence between the degree of localization and improvement after surgery.

Methods: We analyzed long-term EEGs from 34 patients. Interictal spikes were grouped in clusters and averaged according to morphology and topography.

Successful treatment of refractory simple motor status epilepticus with lacosamide and levetiracetam.

Lacosamide has been reported to have been successfully used for non-convulsive status epilepticus after benzodiazepine failure, and convulsive status epilepticus after benzodiazepine and levetiracetam failure. We report a case of simple motor status epilepticus refractory to benzodiazepines and multiple anti-epileptic medications (AEDs) over 4 days. The addition of lacosamide in combination with existing levetiracetam aborted the continuous seizure with maintenance of seizure freedom through the most recent follow-up at 4 weeks.