Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0038220 (status epilepticus)
 7,272 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

We report the results of treatment of refractory generalized tonic-clonic status epilepticus in 17 adults. Of 13 patients who received high-dose phenytoin (PHT, mean dose 23.8 mg/kg), seizure control was sustained in five patients. In 12 cases, anesthetic doses of pentobarbital rapidly suppressed convulsions, but sustained control required prolonged treatment. Break-through seizures were, in most cases, explained by inadequate serum pentobarbital concentrations, although we could not establish a therapeutic range of serum concentrations. EEG monitoring is necessary to assess the therapeutic response but is not a reliable index of depth of anesthesia. Some cases developed pharmacodynamic tolerance to pentobarbital. The most serious treatment complications were cardiorespiratory, but the most common and disabling side effects, although reversible, were neurologic. Fifteen patients were discharged from the hospital in stable condition; two patients died, but not as a direct consequence of treatment. Our results suggest a very good outcome of pentobarbital anesthesia for patients in refractory status epilepticus who are a reasonable medical risk and who receive optimal medical management.
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PMID:Treatment of refractory generalized tonic-clonic status epilepticus with pentobarbital anesthesia after high-dose phenytoin. 275 97

The distribution of diphenylhydantoin (PHT) (40 mg/kg i.p.) in the brain was investigated in cats with convulsive generalized (group 1) and focal penicillin-induced status epilepticus (group 2), and in controls. A significant increase in the amount of PHT entering the brain during the convulsive status was found, with peak brain levels at 45 min (12 +/- 3.2 micrograms/g vs. 6.0 +/- 0.8 in normal cats, P less than 0.05). In the focal status brain concentrations of PHT reached levels intermediate between controls and group 1 cats. At 15 min, elevated blood levels of the drug were paralleled by increased concentrations in the brain, whereas at 30 and 45 min other factors, such as changes in cerebral blood flow, cerebral pH, vascular resistance, metabolic derangement and blood-brain barrier disruption were presumably responsible for the altered brain PHT uptake. The relevance of these data to clinical practice is discussed, in relation to the treatment of human status epilepticus and the potentially neurotoxic effects of the drug.
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PMID:Distribution of diphenylhydantoin in the brain during experimental status epilepticus of the cat. 350 95

Early seizures represent a major complication in the post operative course of patients operated on for supratentorial tumors or AVMs. The real effectiveness of the AEDs prophylaxis to reduce the occurrence of post operative seizures is controversial. We proposed a prophylactic treatment with endovenous PHT consisting of two infusions of PHT (mean dosage of 18 mg/kg; mean time of 1 hr) perioperatively and during the first postoperative day. The interruption of the previous oral anticonvulsant treatment is not required. The endovenous route should permit a rapid reach of the therapeutical range. Sixty-six patients were treated. Fifty-one patients received two infusions and 15 patients only one infusion. The serum concentration of PHT performed at 24 hrs of operation was in most of patients (more than 80%) in the lower part of the therapeutical range while at 24 hrs of the second infusion was in the higher part or over the range. The overall prevalence of seizures was 10.6%. In the first group the incidence was 7.8%, in the second one was 20%. All the seizures appeared within 48 hrs of the operation. All the patients in the first group had single seizures, 2 patients of the second one experienced two seizures. No status epilepticus was observed. Alteration of consciousness and mild hypotension were the most common side effects. They never required major measurements and were mild, transient and completely reversible. We are starting with a randomized study based on a larger sample of patients which will allow a more reliable statistical analysis.
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PMID:Early postoperative seizures and endovenous phenytoin. Preliminary clinical data. 916 28

Epileptic nystagmus (EN) is an uncommon phenomenon characterized by repetitive and rapid saccades, in association with epileptic discharges. We present a critical video-EEG recording in a patient with occipital seizures that appeared clinically as EN. The subject, male, 70 years-old, was examined because of generalized tonic-clonic seizures, preceded by left cephalic version. These were controlled using i.v. PHT, but partial seizures persisted, which we recorded using video-EEG. Clinically, we observed episodes of left conjugate deviation of the eyes, accompanied by horizontal nystagmoid movements, with a rapid leftward component and visual hallucinations. The patient did not lose consciousness. Ictal EEG: spike rhythm in the posterior right occipito-temporal region extending to adjacent and contralateral regions, followed by post-discharge of slow waves. The video-EEG was interpreted as partial oculo-clonic status epilepticus of right temporo-occipital origin. Cranial MRI: old, bilateral hemorrhaging occipital contusions associated with previous cranial injury. The picture persisted for two days, and disappeared with administration of CBZ 600 mg/d. Our patient's nystagmus seemed to be related to the critical activity recorded in the right occipito-temporal region. The co-existence of visual hallucinations and the video-EEG correlation support this possibility. This phenomenon is probably due to epileptic activation of the cortical center of saccadic movements, with a rapid phase of nystagmus, contralateral to the focus, and a slow ipsilateral phase in association with a defect in the gaze-fixing system ("leaky neural integrator") [published with videosequences].
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PMID:Epileptic nystagmus: a case study video-EEG correlation. 1196 76