Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy: A Report of Three Commonly Encountered Anatomic Findings in the Forensic Setting With Recommendations for Best Practices.

Abstract

Sudden unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is the most common cause of death in children and young adults with epilepsy with epileptic patients harboring a 27 times increased risk of death from SUDEP. Structural brain lesions are encountered in up to 50% of autopsy cases. In this case series, we report 3 previously undiagnosed structural causes of SUDEP discovered at autopsy at our institution including schizencephaly, ganglioglioma, and focal cortical dysplasia. Our major recommendation is in cases with suspected SUDEP, formal neuropathological examination and tissue sampling should be employed to identify and characterize specific potential anatomic etiologies.