Refractory status epilepticus arrested by vagus nerve stimulation.

A 54-year-old man developed altered mental state and generalised tonic-clonic seizures after 1 week of upper respiratory tract symptoms and diarrhoea, having been previously well. His MR scan of brain showed multifocal progressive T2 cortical signal changes. He was diagnosed with new-onset refractory status epilepticus (NORSE), initially treated as being secondary to autoimmune/paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis, although subsequent investigations were negative.

Monitoring the changing pattern of delivery of paediatric epilepsy surgery in England--an audit of a regional service and examination of national trends.

Purpose: The demand for paediatric epilepsy surgery in the UK greatly exceeds the number of operations performed. Hence, Children's Epilepsy Surgery Service (CESS) was commenced in 2012. This study is aimed to characterise the changes in service delivery in the North East of England Paediatric Neuroscience Network and nationally.

Complex regional pain syndrome type 1 in a child with migraine.

Complex regional pain syndrome type 1 is a rare painful syndrome in children involving an extremity which consists of pain out of proportion to the cause, loss of function, and significant evidence of autonomic dysfunction. We report a child, a known case of migraine who presented with spontaneous onset pain and sudomotor changes in an extremity not preceded by any trauma. A good clinical eye is required for the identification and diagnosis of this underreported condition to prevent doing extensive investigations.

No association between bipolar disorder risk polymorphisms in ANK3 and CACNA1C and common migraine.

Background: Migraine and bipolar disorder are characterized by a high level of co-morbidity, and a common familial-genetic basis has recently been hypothesized for the 2 disorders. Genome-wide association studies have reported strong evidence of association between the polymorphisms rs10994336[T] in the ANK3 gene and rs1006737[A] in the CACNA1C gene and risk of bipolar disorder.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the hypothesis of a genetic linkage between migraine and bipolar disorder by investigating the familial transmission of the 2 bipolar disorder risk polymorphisms, in a sample of family trios with probands with childhood migraine, and unrelated controls.

Ohtahara syndrome with biotinidase deficiency.

Ohtahara syndrome is a rare epileptic encephalopathy in infants; the underlying etiology is generally thought to be structural brain malformations. The authors present a rare case of this type of epileptic encephalopathy in which a treatable metabolic condition such as biotinidase deficiency was suspected and diagnosed, and early institution of appropriate therapy led to a good clinical outcome.

Effect of electronic media on children.

Radio, television (TV), movies, video games, cell phones, and computer networks have assumed central roles in our children's daily lives. The media has demonstrated potentially profound effects, both positive and negative, on children's cognitive, social, and behavioral development. Considering the increasing exposure of children to newer forms of media, we decided to review the current literature on the effects of media on child health both in the Western countries and India.

Correlation of autism with temporal tubers in tuberous sclerosis complex.

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an inherited genetic disorder commonly associated with neuropsychiatric complications like epilepsy, mental retardation, autism and other behavioral problems and constitutes about 1-4% of the autistic population. Mental retardation and seizures, particularly infantile spasms are significant risk factors for the development of autism. Patients of TSC with autism are more likely to have temporal tubers than those cases without autism.

Topiramate in the prophylaxis of pediatric migraine: a double-blind placebo-controlled trial.

Several large, randomized controlled trials have demonstrated the efficacy of topiramate in migraine prophylaxis in adults. However, there are limited data about the use of topiramate in migraine prophylaxis in children. We conducted this single-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of topiramate in the prophylaxis of migraine in children.

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis in North Indian children: clinical profile and follow-up.

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis in children is not uncommon in developing countries, yet there is little systematic documentation of its clinical profile and follow-up. We studied the clinical and neuroradiologic features of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis in 52 consecutive children. Clinical details, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings, and the results of other investigations were recorded, and children were followed up from 6 to 48 months.

Adolescent violence exposure, gender issues and impact.

Youth violence is a growing problem worldwide. Research on adolescent violence in India is limited. Fifteen hundred high school students were investigated to study the prevalence and demographic characteristics of witnesses, victims and perpetrators of violence and to see the impact of violence exposure on their psychosocial adjustments.

Calcified neonatal renal vein and vena caval thrombosis.

We present an unusual case of an extensive venous thrombosis (involving the inferior vena cava, bilateral renal veins, gonadal vein and iliac veins) diagnosed in the neonatal period. The CT images revealed the typical diagnostic pattern.

Reactions of Indian adolescents to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Objective: There is information about the impact of disasters and trauma on children, but little is known about the effects of terrorism particularly in India. (i) To assess the knowledge of the 9/11 terrorist attacks to the school going adolescents of India who were miles away from the actual incident. (ii) To compare the reactions to this event among the boys and girls.

Profile of West syndrome in North Indian children.

To study the profile of West syndrome (WS) in North Indian Children, 165 cases of WS were analyzed. Details of seizure semiology, prenatal and perinatal events, developmental milestones, treatment received, physical and neurological examination and investigations were recorded. The response of seizures to various therapeutic modalities and the final developmental status were taken as primary outcome variables.

Botulinum toxin in children with cerebral palsy.

Botulinum toxin is a neurotoxin that blocks the synaptic release of acetylcholine from cholinergic nerve terminals mainly at the neuromuscular junction, resulting in irreversible loss of motor end plates. It is being widely tried as a targeted antispasticity treatment in children with cerebral palsy. A number of studies have shown that it reduces spasticity and increases the range of motion and is particularly useful in cases with dynamic contractures.

Primary multiple intracerebral echinococcosis in a young child.

Primary multiple intracerebral echinococcosis is a very rare disorder particularly in children. In this case report we discuss the details of clinical presentation and management in a young child. We also highlight for the first time non-iatrogenic 'water lily' appearance of the lesion on computed tomography of the head.

Cerebral gigantism with West syndrome.

A case of cerebral gigantism (Sotos syndrome) with West syndrome in a one-year-old male child is reported. The case had a large stature, typical facies and neurodevelopmental delay along with infantile spasms, which were refractory to treatment with valproate and clonazepam.

Clinical spectrum of cerebral palsy in north India--an analysis of 1,000 cases.

One thousand children with cerebral palsy (CP) were reviewed to study their clinical profile, etiological factors and associated problems. Spastic quadriplegia constituted the predominant group (61 per cent), followed by spastic diplegia (22 per cent). Dyskinetic CP was present in 7.

Chemotherapy related fatal neurotoxicity during induction in acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Neurotoxicity is a common complication during cancer chemotherapy. It is estimated that 3-10% of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) experience acute, transient neurotoxicity during induction chemotherapy. Fatal acute neurotoxicity is rarely encountered.