A CASE OF DIGESTIVE EPILEPSY WITH RATE DI AGNOSIS - A DISEASE WHICH MERITS CONSIDERATION

Digestive epilepsy is a rare disease, poorly recognized by gastroenter ologists. Its diagnosis requires a compatible clinical presentation, t he absence of concomitant organic digestive disease, and an effective and long-lasting response to specific anticonvulsant agents. We report a case of digestive epilepsy due to a meningioma of the right parieta l lobe in a 79-year-old woman suffering from headaches, vertigo, sweat ing and abdominal pain for at least 14 years. Initial diagnosis was ir ritable bowel syndrome. A meningal syndrome led to neurological work-u p showing cerebral meningioma. The recurrent paroxysmal abdominal pain was interpreted as manifestations of digestive epilepsy, and effectiv e and longlasting treatment was obtained with carbamazepine. After ana lysis of the determining elements in this case, the epidemiology, path ophysiology, diagnostic work-up, therapy, and differential diagnosis o f digestive epilepsy are discussed.