Neuroimaging in pediatric patients with new-onset status epilepticus

Abstract

Status epilepticus (SE) is one of the most common urgent neurological conditions in children. SE occurs as a result of the failure of the mechanisms responsible for stopping seizures, or of those that cause abnormally long seizures. The International League against Epilepsy recommends examining patients with epilepsy (including those with new-onset SE) using neuroimaging methods. In order to assess the informative value of neuroimaging methods in determining the causes of SE, we conducted a retrospective analysis of 44 medical records of pediatric patients with new-onset SE who were admitted in critical condition to the children’s intensive care unit for the period from 2000 to 2019. In the studied sample, only 32 patients were examined using neuroimaging methods (MRI, CT, EEG, video EEG monitoring). In 25% of cases, no changes were detected. The rest revealed epileptogenic (15.3%), conditionally epileptogenic (65.5%) and non-epileptogenic (19.2%) changes. To clarify the etiology of epilepsy in the latter case, it is recommended to conduct additional examination using other diagnostic methods. Thus, the use of neuroimaging methods is an important link in the patient management with new-onset SE. KEYWORDS: epilepsy, status epilepticus, children, brain, neuroimaging, magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography. FOR CITATION: Kulish E.A., Frolova V.M. Neuroimaging in pediatric patients with new-onset status epilepticus. Russian Medical Inquiry. 2022;6(10):596–599 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.32364/2587-6821-2022-6-10-596-599.