Epileptic Nystagmus

Abstract

Most authoritative reviews of nystagmus fail to mention epilepsy as a possible cause. Thirteen reports in the French and Italian literature describe 15 patients in whom attacks of epileptic nystagmus were a remarkable but insignificant part of a clinical picture consisting of regularly recurring minor and major seizures and in some cases gross neurologic deficit. A search of the literature m the English language failed to reveal mention of epileptic nystagmus. The herein described case documents the fact that attacks of nystagmus of epileptic origin may occur unassociated with other more typical seizure manifestations in an otherwise neurologically intact patient. SUMMARY A patient is reported who had previous attacks of major motor seizures but who for 18 months had attacks consisting exclusively of horizontal jerk and pendular nystagmus proved to be epileptic in origin. The literature regarding epileptic nystagmus is reviewed. It is suggested that electroencephalography may profitably be made part of the investigation of patients with attacks of nystagmus who have had previous epileptic attacks. RÉSUMÉ Ľ auteur a rapporté le cas ďun patient, qui après avoir eu seulement pendant une periode de 18 mois des crises motrices majeures, a successivement présenté des crises caractérisées par des secousses horizontales des globes oculaires et un nystagmus pendulaire qui s'est avéréêtre de nature épileptique. Après avoir passé en revue la littérature concernant le nystagmus épileptique, ľ auteur pense que ľélectroencéphalographie peut jouer un rôle utile dans ľ investigation des sujets avec des crises de nystagmus et qui ont présenté auparavant des crises épileptiques.