Background and objectives: while acute ischemic stroke is the leading cause of epilepsy in the elderly population, data about its risk factors have been conflicting. Therefore, the aim of our study is to determine the association of early and late epileptic seizures after acute ischemic stroke with cerebral cortical involvement and electroencephalographic changes. Materials and methods: a prospective cohort study in the Hospital of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kaunas Clinics Department of Neurology was conducted and enrolled 376 acute ischemic stroke patients. Data about the demographical, clinical, radiological, and encephalographic changes was gathered. Patients were followed for 1 year after stroke and assessed for late ES. Results: the incidence of ES was 4.5%, the incidence of early ES was 2.7% and the incidence of late ES was 2.4%. The occurrence of early ES increased the probability of developing late ES. There was no association between acute cerebral cortical damage and the occurrence of ES, including both early and late ES. However, interictal epileptiform discharges were associated with the occurrence of ES, including both early and late ES.
Keywords: early epileptic seizures; electroencephalogram; epilepsy; epileptic seizures; ischemic stroke; late epileptic seizures; post-stroke epilepsy; stroke.