Paroxysmal non-epileptic events (PNEs), or pseudoseizures (PS) resemble epileptic seizures. They are considered part of a personality disorder and have a higher incidence among adolescents. Patients describe episodes (lasting up to 20 minutes) of loss of consciousness, twitching or jerking and unusual emotional states. Unlike epileptic seizures, they are not associated with electroencephalographic abnormalities. Distinguishing epileptic seizures from PNEs is not easy. 20% of patients with seizures have a final PNEs diagnosis but recognizing them on the first examination is difficult. Due to the severe initial clinical presentation, these patients are often admitted in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and may be over-treated. We report two cases admitted to our PICU for apparent status epilepticus, in which the final diagnosis was PNEs.
Buonsenso, D., Plosnic, M., Bersani, G., Monaco, S., Ferrara, P., Chiaretti, A., Paroxysmal non-epileptic events in the pediatric emergency department, <<EUROPEAN REVIEW FOR MEDICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL SCIENCES>>, 2019; 23 (5): 2188-2193. [doi:10.26355/eurrev_201903_17265] [http://hdl.handle.net/10807/132723]
Paroxysmal non-epileptic events in the pediatric emergency department
Buonsenso, Danilo;Ferrara, Pietro;Chiaretti, Antonio
2019
Abstract
Paroxysmal non-epileptic events (PNEs), or pseudoseizures (PS) resemble epileptic seizures. They are considered part of a personality disorder and have a higher incidence among adolescents. Patients describe episodes (lasting up to 20 minutes) of loss of consciousness, twitching or jerking and unusual emotional states. Unlike epileptic seizures, they are not associated with electroencephalographic abnormalities. Distinguishing epileptic seizures from PNEs is not easy. 20% of patients with seizures have a final PNEs diagnosis but recognizing them on the first examination is difficult. Due to the severe initial clinical presentation, these patients are often admitted in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and may be over-treated. We report two cases admitted to our PICU for apparent status epilepticus, in which the final diagnosis was PNEs.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.