Petechial haemorrhage following a partial seizure with secondary generalization: atypical presentation and differential diagnosis.
A case is reported of a patient who had a respiratory arrest on a high dependency ward in a High Security Hospital with an unusual presentation. The patient had head and upper abdominal petechial haemorrhages with extensive conjunctival haemorrhaging. A considered antecedent for this potentially life-threatening presentation was strangulation. Analysis of all the available clinical information supports the hypothesis that he had a single tonic-clonic seizure with a focal-motor onset. This constitutes an unusual consequence of a partial seizure with secondary generalization.
Lumsden
J
J
Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Broadmoor Hospital, Crowthorne, Berkshire, UK.
Sulliman
C
C
Dally
J
J
West
A
A
Fenwick
P B
PB
Fenton
G W
GW
D000328:Adult; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004828:Epilepsies, Partial / Q000150:complications*; D004834:Epilepsy, Post-Traumatic / Q000150:complications; D004830:Epilepsy, Tonic-Clonic / Q000150:complications; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011693:Purpura / Q000209:etiology*