Occipital Lobe Epilepsy

Abstract

Electroenceph. clin. Neurophysiol. 75: 1047 (1963).

Occipital Lobe Epilepsy: A Chronic Condition Related to Transient Occipital Lobe Involvement in Eclampsia

“…At least two cases with seizures of occipital onset occurring during pregnancy and puerperium have been reported in the literature: Huott et al (1974) reported a patient with a family history of epilepsy who had isolated visual phenomena for the first time during pregnancy. Episodes demonstrating occipital paroxysmal involvement were recorded.…”

Oculoclonic Status Epilepticus

“…We thus consider the seizure to be exclusively of occipital origin. Huott et al (1974) reported that contralateral occipital lobe was the origin of repeated oculoclonic seizures in acute cerebral disturbances and that focal repetitive spikes were the most common EEG correlate of focal attacks, including oculoclonic seizures in occipital lobe epilepsy. The role of rostra1 spread of occipital discharges in the clinical manifestation of the seizure has been noted (Russel and Whitty, 1955;Bancaud, 1969;Rasmussen and Penfield, 1974;Gastaut, 1982;Olivier et al, 1982).…”

Ictal Blindness and Status Epilepticus Amauroticus

“…More recent reports of epileptic blindness have also noted that loss of vision can be present as an aura (Smith and Kellaway, 1963;Ludwig and Marsan, 1975), as the seizure itself (Huott and Madison, 1974;Engel et al, 1978), or as a postictal phenomenon (Olurin, 1970;Kosnik et al, 1976;Sadeh et al, 1983). Only a handful of cases of true ictal blindness have been confirmed with simultaneous EEG recording, however.…”

“…Preictal blindness (amaurosis preceding a generalized convulsion) probably represents a focal visual seizure, especially when it occurs without other "positive" visual phenomena (Todd, 1856). The few reports of ictal blindness with EEG verification (Huott and Madison, 1974;Engel et al, 1978) are associated with other clinical symptoms of epilepsy. Cases involving pure blindness or hemianopia as an epileptic phenomenon are of interest because they imply focal irritation of a visual "inhibitory area" during the ictal discharge.…”