CARDIAC-ARRHYTHMIAS MIMICKING PRIMARY NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS - A DIFFICULT DIAGNOSTIC SITUATION

Cardiac arrhythmias can present with the signs and symptoms of a seizu re disorder. This potentially life-threatening underlying cause of non -febrile seizures should be recognized early, since successful specifi c treatment is possible. The purpose of this retrospective study was t o examine common features in such patients. Over a period of 25 years, eight patients were initially treated for up to 5 years at our instit ution for a seizure disorder until dysrhythmia as the underlying cause of the seizures was disclosed. The main symptom was drop attacks coin ciding with physical activity or emotional stress. Convulsions were on ly rarely observed. In five of the eight patients the underlying disor der was the long-QT-syndrome (Romano-Ward syndrome). In one patient in termittent complete atrioventricular block was found, another patient showed ventricular tachydysrhythmia of unknown etiology and the last p atient suffered from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.