Ictal Asystole in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: A Possible Cause of Sudden Unexplained Death - A Case Report

ABSTRACT

We report a case of a 47-year-old woman who presented with a 3-year history of paroxysmal events after suffering traumatic brain injury in a motor vehicle accident. She had not previously been diagnosed with epilepsy. On video-EEG monitoring, she was found to have a right temporal seizure associated with ictal asystole lasting for 18 seconds. Our case raises the possibility that undiagnosed ictal asystole could be a potential cause of sudden unexplained death.

KEY WORDS:

• Ictal asystole
• sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, sudden unexplained death, temporal lobe epilepsy

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.