• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제64권8호
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• pp.384-392
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• 2021

Paroxysmal nonepileptic events (PNE) comprise of a variety of nonepileptic behaviors and are divided into various types. A more accurate diagnosis is possible by examining the video clip provided by the caregiver. In infants, physiologic PNE accounts for the majority of the PNE. It is important to exclude epilepsy, for which blood tests, electroencephalography, and imaging tests can facilitate differential diagnosis. Since most PNE have a benign progress, symptoms often improve with age and without special treatment. Therefore, it is important to reassure the caregivers after making an accurate diagnosis.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• 제38권4호
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• pp.371-373
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• 2021

Serotonin syndrome (SS) is a potentially life-threatening condition that is caused by the administration of drugs that increase serotonergic activity in the central nervous system. We report a case of serotonin syndrome in a patient with chronic pain who was taking analgesic drugs. A 36-year-old female with chronic pain in the lower back and right buttock area had been taking tramadol hydrochloride 187.5 mg, acetaminophen 325 mg, pregabalin 150 mg, duloxetine 60 mg, and triazolam 0.25 mg daily for several months. After amitriptyline 10 mg was added to achieve better pain control, the patient developed SS, which was mistaken for psychogenic nonepileptic seizure. However, her symptoms completely disappeared after discontinuation of the drugs that were thought to trigger SS and subsequent hydration with normal saline. Various drugs that can increase serotonergic activity are being widely prescribed for patients with chronic pain. Clinicians should be aware of the potential for the occurrence of SS when prescribing pain medications to patients with chronic pain.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제64권6호
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• pp.251-259
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• 2021

Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) is a neuropsychiatric condition that causes a transient alteration of consciousness and loss of self-control. PNES, which occur in vulnerable individuals who often have experienced trauma and are precipitated by overwhelming circumstances, are a body's expression of a distressed mind, a cry for help. PNES are misunderstood, mistreated, under-recognized, and underdiagnosed. The mind-body dichotomy, an artificial divide between physical and mental health and brain disorders into neurology and psychiatry, contributes to undue delays in the diagnosis and treatment of PNES. One of the major barriers in the effective diagnosis and treatment of PNES is the dissonance caused by different illness perceptions between patients and providers. While patients are bewildered by their experiences of disabling attacks beyond their control or comprehension, providers consider PNES trivial because they are not epileptic seizures and are caused by psychological stress. The belief that patients with PNES are feigning or controlling their symptoms leads to negative attitudes of healthcare providers, which in turn lead to a failure to provide the support and respect that patients with PNES so desperately need and deserve. A biopsychosocial perspective and better understanding of the neurobiology of PNES may help bridge this great divide between brain and behavior and improve our interaction with patients, thereby improving prognosis. Knowledge of dysregulated stress hormones, autonomic nervous system dysfunction, and altered brain connectivity in PNES will better prepare providers to communicate with patients how intangible emotional stressors could cause tangible involuntary movements and altered awareness.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• 제9권2호
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• pp.69-74
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• 2007

Electroencephalogram (EEG) is a representative diagnostic tool in epilepsy. However, there are several points of debate on the role of EEG in diagnosis and management of epilepsy. We suggest that EEG has some limitations for differential diagnosis from nonepileptic episodic diseases, classification of epilepsy, prediction of recurrence, and evaluation of treatment response. Interictal EEG cannot diagnose or exclude epilepsy because interictal epileptic discharge (IED) is frequently absent in epilepsy and can appear in nonepileptic conditions. Although EEG is helpful in classification of epilepsy, focal spikes in generalized epilepsy and secondary bilateral synchrony in localization related epilepsy cause interrater disagreement. It is controversial whether EEG predicts recurrence after the first seizure in adults. The predictive value of EEG in antiepileptic drug (AED) withdrawal is not absolute. The prognosis after AED withdrawal depends on epilepsy syndrome. Many studies could not confirm the value of EEG in assessing the treatment response. After all, epilepsy is clinically diagnosed and assessed. Interictal EEG alone does not provide decisive information and routine follow-up of EEG is not recommended.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제50권8호
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• pp.726-731
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• 2007

This review describes the wide spectrum of paroxysmal events during sleep in infancy and childhood. The differential diagnosis between sleep-related non-epileptic paroxysmal events and epileptic seizures is difficult in special occasions. The nocturnal frontal lobe seizure and of the more common nonepileptic paroxysmal events during sleep are described. The main differentiating features characterizing parasomnias are: onset in early childhood, rare episodes of long duration, relatively lower frequency per night, absence of stereotypy, gradual disappearance of older age. Video-polysomnography is the gold standard to diagnosing and differentiating parasomnias from nocturnal frontal lobe seizures.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제51권1호
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• pp.62-66
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• 2008

목 적 : 다양한 생리적 현상, 기질적 질환, 정신병리 등이 돌발적 행동 이상(paroxysmal behavioral events)으로 나타날 수 있다. 돌발적 비간질 발작(Paroxysmal nonepileptic events, PNEs)은 영아, 소아 및 청소년에서 매우 흔하게 볼 수 있으며 자세한 병력청취와 진찰을 통해 상당 부분 정확히 감별할 수 있다. 그러나 일부 환자에서는 간질성 발작과의 구분을 위해 비디오-뇌파 모니터링이 필요하게 된다. 본 연구에서는 비디오-뇌파 모니터링을 시행하여 PNEs로 진단한 환자의 임상특징과 PNEs를 진단하는데 있어 비디오-뇌파 모니터링의 유용성을 알아보고자 하였다. 방 법 : 2004년 9월부터 2006년 6월까지 고려대학교 구로병원과 안산병원에 내원한 130명의 환자에서 비디오-뇌파 모니터링을 시행하였고, 이들의 모니터링 결과와 진료 기록을 후향적으로 분석하였다. 결 과 : 비디오-뇌파 모니터링을 시행한 130명의 환자 중 이 발작과 동시에 기록된 뇌파에서 간질 패턴을 보이지 않았고, 전형적인 증후(semiology)와 임상 소견을 근거로 전두엽 간질로 정정된 2명을 제외하고 최종적으로 31명(23.8%)이 PNEs로 진단되었다. 이들의 평균연령은 $7.2{\pm}5.8$세였으며, 남녀 비는 15:16(1:0.94)이었다. 31명 중 15명이 동반 이상으로 간질, 발달지체, 뇌성마비, 위궤양, 주의력결핍-과잉행동장애, 우울증 등이 있었다. 신체형장애와 인위성장애는 5세 미만의 연령군에 비해 5세 이상의 연령군에서 많았으며(P<0.05), 여아(n=6)가 남아(n=2)보다 심인성 질환을 갖는 경우가 더 많았다(P>0.05). 결 론 : 비디오-뇌파 모니터링을 통해 대부분의 환자에서 정확한 진단이 가능하였고 일부 환자에서 기존의 진단과 치료 방향이 수정되었다. 따라서 PNEs를 진단하는데 있어 비디오-뇌파 모니터링과 같은 유용한 검사를 적극적으로 시행함으로써 불필요한 항간질약제의 복용을 막고 보다 적절한 치료를 제공할 수 있을 것으로 생각된다.