Nonconvulsive status epilepticus in cancer patients with altered mental status.

Abstract

e13028 Background: Non-convulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) is a potentially treatable etiology of unexplained altered mental status (AMS) in cancer patients. NCSE may be under-recognized clinically making electroencephalogram (EEG) essential for diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of NCSE among patients with cancer undergoing inpatient neurology consultation for AMS, and to characterize their clinical features. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 512 patients undergoing neurology consult for AMS between 1/1/2010-12/30/2011, and identified those with a diagnosis of NCSE. Basic demographics, primary cancer, clinical presentation, clinical course, and outcomes data were collected. Results: 21 patients were diagnosed with NCSE by EEG, an incidence of 4%. Of the 21, 3 had prior history of seizures and were maintained on antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Ten had a solid primary cancer, 11 had a hematologic primary cancer, of which 6 were post-transplant. Eleve...