Absence epilepsy and periventricular nodular heterotopia

Received 6 March 2010; accepted 17 June 2010. published online 16 July 2010.

Abstract

We report a case of a girl who presented with typical absence seizures at age of 4.5 years. EEG showed absence seizures of sudden onset with 3Hz spike-and-waves that also correlated with the clinical absences. The seizure semiology included subtle deviation of the eyes which prompted MRI investigation of the brain. This showed a periventricular nodular heterotopia in the mid to anterior horn of the right lateral ventricle. Although possibly coincidental, periventricular heterotopia are considered to be epileptogenic and this association has been reported once before. Migration disorders, such as in the periventricular heterotopia of our patient, may influence the formation and excitability of the striato–thalamo–cortical network involved in the generation of 3Hz spike-waves.

Keywords: Absence epilepsy, Periventricular nodular heterotopia, Migration, 3

Hz spike-waves, Thalamus, Cortex

a Dept. of Pediatric Neurology, Erasmus MC Sophia Children's Hospital, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA, The Netherlands

b Dept. of Neurology, St. Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein, The Netherlands

c Dept. of Radiology, Erasmus MC, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA, The Netherlands

d Dept. of Clinical Genetics, Erasmus MC, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

e Dept. of Clinical Neurophysiology, Erasmus MC, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA, The Netherlands

Corresponding author. Tel.: +31 107040704; fax: +31 107036345.

PII: S1059-1311(10)00142-1

doi:10.1016/j.seizure.2010.06.013

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