Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow E-Letters: Submit a response to the article
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Ng, L.
Right arrow Articles by Chambers, N.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Ng, L.
Right arrow Articles by Chambers, N.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

British Journal of Anaesthesia, 2003, Vol. 91, No. 4 598-600
© 2003 The Board of Management and Trustees of the British Journal of Anaesthesia

Case Reports

Postoperative pseudoepileptic seizures in a known epileptic: complications in recovery

L. Ng1,2 and N. Chambers1

1 Department of Anaesthesia, St George’s Hospital, Blackshaw Road, London SW17 0QT, UK. 2 Present address: Department of Anaesthesia, St Helier’s Hospital, Wrythe Lane, Carshalton SM5 1AA, UK

Corresponding author. E-mail: lenny.ng@doctors.org.uk
{dagger}LMA® is the property of Intavent Limited.

A 47-yr-old woman underwent general anaesthesia for a squint correction. She had previously suffered a cerebral venous thrombosis, presenting as grand mal seizures during recovery from general anaesthesia for minor surgery. Subsequently, she was affected by Jacksonian limb seizures and petit mal epilepsy and had required long-term rehabilitation, and anticonvulsant and anticoagulant therapy. On arrival in recovery on this occasion, with a laryngeal mask airway (LMA{dagger}) in place, she started to convulse. The seizures were initially treated with midazolam i.v., but they recurred. Whilst observing the seizure pattern and excluding the differential diagnoses, evidence emerged that psychological factors had played a large part in her clinical picture. Her differential diagnosis had recently been amended to include ‘pseudoseizures’. A firm, supportive approach caused the ‘convulsions’ to cease within a few hours.

Br J Anaesth 2003: 91: 598–600


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Contin Educ Anaesth Crit Care PainHome page
A. P Gratrix and S. M Enright
Epilepsy in anaesthesia and intensive care
CEACCP, August 1, 2005; 5(4): 118 - 121.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Br J AnaesthHome page
G. Allen, P. Farling, L. Ng, and N. Chambers
Anaesthesia and pseudoseizures
Br. J. Anaesth., March 1, 2004; 92(3): 451 - 452.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.