title: Epileptic diaphragm myoclonus.
abstract: Persistent singultus is a rare condition, occasionally caused by central nervous system abnormalities. We report a six-year-old girl with daily hiccup events. A polygraphic recording capturing nine singultus episodes showed myoclonia of the diaphragm lasting 104-131 milliseconds, time-locked to bilateral, synchronous, double-spike-and-wave discharges, maximum at frontal contacts. The initial EEG spikes preceded the onset of EMG discharges by 56-64 (median: 59) milliseconds. This is the first description of an epileptic patient with hiccups as the main seizure manifestation. The electrophysiological findings suggest a primary generalised form of epilepsy and polysynaptic impulse transmission. [Published with video sequences].
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropediatrics, University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany. andreas.hahn@paediat.med.uni-giessen.de
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hahn
authors.forename: Bernd A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Neubauer
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D003964:Diaphragm / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004576:Electromyography; D004831:Epilepsies, Myoclonic / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006606:Hiccup / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans