Epilepsy as a sequel to cerebrovascular accident.

In 1973 345 patients were admitted to Turku City Hospital because of cerebrovascular accident, 21 of them having epilepsy as a sequel after an earlier stroke or developing epileptic seizures during an observation period of 4 years. In the same year 27 patients were admitted because of epilepsy, 11 of them showing onset of seizures after an earlier stroke. Thus 32 patients, or 9,0 per cent of 356 cases with CVD proved to have epilepsy. The incidence of epilepsy did not depend on the nature of the vascular lesion. In three quarters of the cases the onset occurred within two years after the initial stroke. Most patients had generalized seizures, quite a few only convulsions with focal origin or psychomotor attacks. EEGs showed features of epileptic nature in half of the cases, although mostly slight. The importance of diagnosing epilepsy after a cerebrovascular accident is emphasized because recurrences of seizures can be successfully prevented with anticonvulsant therapy. Deepening of the paralytic signs after seizure is often misdiagnosed as a relapse of the stroke itself.