A case of nonconvulsive status epilepticus associated with focal cortical dysplasia

A 6-year-old girl who exhibited nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) as her main clinical seizure is reported. Her seizures involved abnormal eye movement that occurred every 1–2 months associated with a dulling of responsiveness and falling easily due to ataxic gait. During the seizure, her eyelids drooped so that the eyes appeared hooded and she seemed to be drunk. During the episode, she laughed or cried easily with no relation to her surroundings. Ictal EEG continuously showed diffuse high-voltage theta and slow waves with spikes and diffuse spike and waves, and interictal EEG showed spike and waves in the left frontal region. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed focal cortical dysplasia in the left frontal region. These findings suggested that the origin of NCSE is related to the frontal lobe.