Combined variants in reading epilepsy; coexisting anterior and posterior variants camouflaged as heat cramps where the patient finds his own diagnosis searching the internet

Henning Kristian Olberg; Tom Eichele; Thomas Schwarzlmüller; Jonas Lind; Ina Elen Hjelland; Bernt Andreas Engelsen

doi:10.1016/j.ebcr.2016.04.004

Combined variants in reading epilepsy; coexisting anterior and posterior variants camouflaged as heat cramps where the patient finds his own diagnosis searching the internet

Epilepsy Behav Case Rep. 2016 May 2:5:75-7. doi: 10.1016/j.ebcr.2016.04.004. eCollection 2016.

Authors

Henning Kristian Olberg¹, Tom Eichele², Thomas Schwarzlmüller³, Jonas Lind⁴, Ina Elen Hjelland⁵, Bernt Andreas Engelsen⁶

Affiliations

¹ Section for Clinical Neurophysiology, Haukeland University Hospital, Norway; Department of Clinical Medicine, K1, University of Bergen, Norway.
² Section for Clinical Neurophysiology, Haukeland University Hospital, Norway; Institute for Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Norway.
³ Department of Neurology, Haukeland University Hospital, Norway; Department of Radiology, Haukeland University Hospital, Norway.
⁴ Department of Radiology, Haukeland University Hospital, Norway.
⁵ Section for Clinical Neurophysiology, Haukeland University Hospital, Norway.
⁶ Department of Neurology, Haukeland University Hospital, Norway; Department of Clinical Medicine, K1, University of Bergen, Norway.

Abstract

Reading epilepsy is a form of reflex-induced seizures. Two entities are postulated as part of a clinical spectrum; one anterior variant with jaw jerks and orofacial myoclonia and another posterior variant with visual symptoms and alexia or dyslexia. We present a case with suggestible evidence of both conditions coexisting within the same patient, a finding that, to our knowledge, has not been previously reported. The diagnosis in this specific case was contributed to by the patient searching the internet.

Keywords: Clinical neurophysiology; Neuroimaging; Reading epilepsy; Reflex epilepsy.