Early Seizures After Acute Stroke: A Study of 1,640 Cases

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Abstract
Summary: We evaluated prospectively the occurrence of seizures within 15 days of a first stroke or transient ischemic episode in 1,640 patients to study relation between seizures and type of stroke. Seizures occurred in 90 patients (5·4%), including 36 (4·4%) of 814 with infarct owing to atheroma, 21 (16·6%) of 126 with infarct owing to cardiogenic embolus, 3 (1%) of 273 owing to lacunar infarct, 5 (1·9%) of 259 owing to transient ischemic attack (TIA), 21 (16·2%) of 129 owing to supratentorial he matoma, and 4 (16·6%) of 24 owing to subarachnoid hemorrhage. Thirteen (14·6%) of 89 subcortical infarcts were associated with seizures. Seizures were the initial sign of stroke in 80 (89%) of 90 cases and were usually single and partial. Seizure symptoms were most often motor, sensory, or visual.