The treatment of women with epilepsy.

Background: Women with epilepsy and their doctors are often unsure of the implications of the disease and the limitations it causes. There is a major need for counseling.

Methods: Selective review of the literature as of November 2009.

Autoimmune-mediated polyneuropathy triggered by borrelial infection?

A patient with proven borrelial infection of the central nervous system (CNS) and progressive weakness of the arms was treated with antibiotics. Although the initially elevated CXCL13 concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid decreased, indicating effective treatment of the infection, weakness progressed. Investigation revealed multiple nerve conduction blocks and the presence of GM1 antibodies, suggesting a multifocal motor neuropathy; the patient improved on treatment with intravenous immunoglobulins.

Heart rate increase in otherwise subclinical seizures is different in temporal versus extratemporal seizure onset: support for temporal lobe autonomic influence.

Ictal heart rate was investigated in otherwise subclinical epileptic seizures to test the hypothesis as to whether ictal tachycardia is physiological and not a physical or psychological stress response. In addition, we aimed to evaluate the localizing significance of pure ictal tachycardia. We included 21 epilepsy patients, who showed an ictal EEG seizure pattern during 22, otherwise subclinical seizures.

Successful cardic surgery 24 hours after craniotomy in a patient with infective endocarditis and embolic cerebellar infarction: case report.

Follow up management in a patient already treated with decompressive craniotomy for a space-occupying endocarditic stroke is difficult. While immediate valve replacement eliminates the focus and therefore the high risk of re-embolization, a neurosurgical intervention is considered a contraindication to early cardiosurgery. Herein, the first report is presented of a critically ill patient with bacterial endocarditis and a space-occupying cerebellar infarction with imminent herniation, who successfully underwent mitral valve replacement only 24 h after decompressive craniotomy.