The syndrome of isolated epileptic status

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Abstract
Within a group of 23 patients who presented with status epilepticus a syndrome is defined in which sudden unheralded status occurs in apparently healthy individuals. Recovery from the attack is complete and no other evidence of cerebral pathology may be found at the time. In seven of nine such cases studied the final diagnosis at follow-up, either by necropsy or by operation, was of cerebral tumour. In five of the seven the fronto-temporal region was the site of pathology. It is suggested that the occurrence of isolated status indicates a possible cerebral tumour for which careful search should be made and, if negative, follow-up study arranged. Of 20 of our patients with status epilepticus in whom the site of lesion was definite, nine were exclusively frontal and a further six had some frontal involvement. This confirms previous evidence that symptomatic status epilepticus indicates a frontal lesion.

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