Status epilepticus presenting as progressive dysphasia

Abstract

Status epilepticus is usually a straightforward diagnosis when a patient has two or more seizures without regaining consciousness. However, when status is nonconvulsive and, in particular, has a temporal lobe flavour the clinical presentation may be misleading. Presentation with automatic or psychic behaviour is well recorded. We report a patient with nonconvulsive status who presented with progressive dysphasia with widespread CT and MRI changes. The dysphasia and imaging changes led to a diagnosis of a probable neoplastic brain process but reversed with anticonvulsant treatment.