Comparison of semiologic characteristics of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures and frontal and temporal lobe seizures

Abstract

Introduction: Video electroencephalography monitoring (VEM) is the gold standard for differentiating epileptic seizures and psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES). This study aimed to compare the semiologic characteristics of PNES and frontal and temporal seizures. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted retrospectively on the records of patients aged over 18 years with PNES and frontal and temporal lobe seizures, who were followed up as inpatients in the Ufuk University Neurology Clinic VEM unit between 2016 and 2020. Seventy-two patients who met the study criteria and were hospitalized during this period were included in the study. The preictal, ictal, and postictal semiologic characteristics of the patients were examined and compared in terms of the seizure type. Results: Of the 72 patients included in the study, 29.2% had PNES, 15.3% had frontal lobe epilepsy, and 41.7% had temporal lobe epilepsy. The mean age of the patients was 32.74 ± 9.84 years. In patients with PNES, frequent semiologic changes, frequent medical visits, ability to execute commands, remembering test words, forced eye closure, subjective sensory symptoms, ictal crying, tremor in extremities, gradual onset, fluctuating course, postictal pseudo-sleep, pelvic thrusting movement, and arrhythmic synchronous extremity movement manifestations were determined to be significantly higher compared with frontal and temporal lobe epilepsies. Conclusion: Seizure semiology is important in the differential diagnosis of epileptic seizures and PNES. VEM remains the gold standard for differentiating PNES and epileptic seizures.

Keywords

• epilepsy
• focal
• psychogenic nonepileptic seizures
• semiology
• video electroencephalography monitoring