A case of ictal burst-suppression

Abstract

“Burst-suppression” pattern consists of complete attenuation of background between bursts of mixed frequencies, variable morphology and waveforms. It is a subgroup of periodic patterns seen in severe cerebral damage, anesthesia or prematurity. Here, we present a 46-year-old woman with post-anoxic encephalopathy on cooling protocol with two electrographically similar patterns of burst-suppression (one with a clinical ictal correlate of isolated eye movements), as well as three electroclinical seizures. The literature on rare clinical phenomenon of isolated eye movements associated with burst-suppression is reviewed, with the conclusion that the presented case suggests an ictal origin. Keywords: Burst-suppression, Post-anoxic encephalopathy, Abnormal eye movements in coma