Clinical features and laboratory characteristics of eight patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis / 中华神经科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the clinical and laboratory characteristics of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE).Methods:The clinical, laboratory and electroencephalogram (EEG) data of eight patients with SSPE who admitted to the Department of Neurology, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, from May 2014 to February 2019 were retrospectively analyzed and followed up.Results:Four of the patients were male and four were female, who aged from two years and seven months to 13 years and five months with a median onset age of five years and six months. All of the eight cases had disease onset with progressive mental and physical regression, then developed periodic myoclonic seizures at the course of 11 days to 11 months. Video EEG examinations showed persistent generalized periodic complex waves with long interval (3-20 s). The IgG titers of measles virus in blood and cerebrospinal fluid of all cases were significantly increased. There was no significant abnormality in blood/urine metabolism screening nor head magnetic resonance imaging for the first time. Five cases performed head magnetic resonance imaging again, in which two cases with deepening hemispheric sulcus, two cases with cerebral white matter signal abnormalities. Antiepileptic drugs, gamma globulin, adrenocortical hormone and antiviral drugs were used after diagnosis though all were ineffective. All patients presented progressive deterioration. During the follow-up period of three months to two years and seven months, four patients died, of which three patients died at the time of five months, one year and two months, two years and six months after onset respectively, and the other one was unknown.Conclusions:The diagnostic clues of SSPE are progressive mental and physical regression, recurrent myoclonic seizures during period Ⅱ, as well as the extensive periodic complex waves of EEG. It is necessary to detect measles virus IgG antibody in blood and cerebrospinal fluid to make a definite diagnosis. There is no specific treatment for SSPE and its prognosis is very poor.