title: Epilepsia partialis continua responsive to intravenous levetiracetam.
abstract: We report on a case of epilepsia partialis continua with rapid response to intravenous bolus administration of levetiracetam. A 60-year-old woman presented with continuous jerking of the right foot and hallux persisting for more than two days. She had a 9-year history of epilepsy due to a left temporoparietal oligodendroglioma with occasional focal seizures clinically presenting as speech arrest, which was treated with levetiracetam and oxcarbazepine administered orally. After hospital admission, the twitching of the foot and toe was refractory to add-on treatment with lorazepam and diazepam but stopped within 15 min after intravenous bolus administration of 2000 mg levetiracetam. This observation suggests that intravenous bolus administration of levetiracetam may be an effective therapeutic option in epilepsia partialis continua.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Cologne, 50924 Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Eggers
authors.forename: Lothar
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Burghaus
authors.forename: Gereon R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Fink
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dohmen
mesh_terms: D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D004828:Epilepsies, Partial / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous / Q000379:methods; D000077287:Levetiracetam; D008875:Middle Aged; D009837:Oligodendroglioma / Q000150:complications; D010889:Piracetam / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D000077287:Levetiracetam; D010889:Piracetam