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Severe memory impairment in a child with bihippocampal injury after status epilepticus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 February 2006

Isabelle Jambaqué
Affiliation:
Université Paris Descartes, Institut de Psychologie, CNRS UMR 8605, Boulogne Billancourt, France.
Lucie Hertz-Pannier
Affiliation:
Université Paris Descartes, Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Département de Radiologie Pédiatrique, France.
Yann Mikaeloff
Affiliation:
Inserm U149, Hôpital Tenon, Paris, France.
Sylvie Martins
Affiliation:
Université Paris Descartes, École Pratique des Hautes Études, CNRS UMR 8581, Boulogne Billancourt, France.
Sylviane Peudenier
Affiliation:
Service de Pédiatrie et Génétique Médicale, Hôpital Morvan, CHU Brest, France.
Olivier Dulac
Affiliation:
Université Paris Descartes, Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Département de Neuropédiatrie, France.
Catherine Chiron
Affiliation:
Inserm U663, Paris France.
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Abstract

Epilepsy may contribute to memory deficits in children, but these deficits are generally mild. We describe the neuropsychological profile of a female who had prolonged status epilepticus at 5 years of age, and then developed temporal lobe epilepsy. Brain magnetic resonance imaging 1 month after the onset of status epilepticus showed marked bilateral hippocampal atrophy that seemed disproportionate to the mild cortico-subcortical atrophy. At the age of 7 years, this child had cognitive impairment (an IQ of 62), which particularly affected her memory. This included short-term memory, and immediate and delayed memory deficits for verbal and visual materials that had a profound impact on everyday life. This observation demonstrates that severe status epilepticus can cause predominant bilateral hippocampal atrophy in childhood. In contrast with children who develop such damage after anoxia, this may result in general cognitive impairment but also in more severe episodic memory deficit.

Type
Case Report
Copyright
2006 Mac Keith Press

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