CAN ABSENCE STATUS EPILEPTICUS BE OF FRONTAL-LOBE ORIGIN

Five women with an unclassifiable nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NC SE) characterized by young age at onset, prolonged confusions, focal m otor seizures, and both generalized spike-and-wave discharges and foca l epileptic discharges on the EEG were studied with video-EEG monitori ng. Electrographically, the NCSE originated from the left frontal lobe in 4 patients, and the left hemisphere with multifocal seizure discha rges in 1 patient. Focal motor seizures seemed to originate from the l eft hemisphere in all 5 patients, particularly from its anterior part in 3 of them. Results show that the NCSE is complex partial status epi lepticus of frontal lobe origin electroclinically mimicking absence st atus epilepticus once it reaches a full-blown phase.