Aphasic Seizure as a Manifestation of Non-Ketotic Hyperglycemia

Non-ketotic hyperglycemia (NKH) is often related to various types of epileptic seizures. However, aphasic seizures associated with NKH have been rarely reported. A 60-year-old diabetic woman was admitted with language disturbance. She presented recurrent motor aphasia and EEG demonstrated ictal rhythmic discharges initiated from left frontal lobe. The seizures disappeared after introduction of carbamazepine and successful control of serum glucose. She remained seizure-free for three months after discharge. We report a case of NKH, manifested by aphasic seizures.

A Case of Aphasic Status with Brain 99m-Tc Ethyl Cysteinate Diethylester Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography Demonstrating Focal Hyperperfusion

We present a 79-year-old male with aphasic status that was confirmed by a 99m-Tc ethyl cysteinate diethylester (ECD) single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). He was admitted to our hospital due to a sudden onset of aphasia. In a Korean-version Western Aphasia Battery (K-WAB) test, the patient was diagnosed with Wernicke's aphasia (aphasia quotient (AQ)=54.50). In a brain magnetic resonance image (MRI) revealed the lesion of an old intracranial hemorrhage in the left posterior temporal area. An electroencephalography (EEG) showed continuous slowing in the left temporal area. SPECT demonstrated focal hyperperfusion in the left temporal cortex anterior to the lesion. After the administration of phenytoin, the aphasia was much improved (follow-up K-WAB : AQ=70.00). In follow-up studies two months later, EEG showed no interval changes and SPECT revealed no focal hyperperfusion in the left temporal area. Simple partial seizure is not easy to diagnose especially when manifesting with nonmotor symptoms such as aphasia. In this case, Wernicke's apha-sia was the only manifestation of epileptic seizure, the EEG did not show any definite epileptiform discharges. SPECT showed focal hyperperfusion in the left temporal area which was supposed to be a seizure focus. We conclude that SPECT might be useful in diagnosing a simple partial seizure manifesting as aphasia without EEG change.