Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-mlc7c Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-05T10:06:06.006Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

An unusual presentation of epilepsy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2011

F J Uddin ,
C Nogueira  and
A Sama
F J Uddin
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK
C Nogueira*
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK
A Sama
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK
*
Address for correspondence: Miss C Nogueira, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective:

To report a case of fluctuating hearing due to auditory aura, as an unusual presentation of temporal lobe epilepsy.

Methods:

Case report and review of English language literature on temporal lobe epilepsy and auditory aura.

Results:

A 31-year-old man presented with intermittent symptoms of bilateral fullness in the ears associated with deafness. He was subsequently diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy. Further enquiry revealed a family history of epilepsy.

Conclusion:

Auditory aura as a presentation of temporal lobe epilepsy is rarely encountered in otolaryngological practice. This case highlights the importance of obtaining detailed information on epilepsy, including any family history of epilepsy, as a routine part of history-taking in patients presenting with fluctuating hearing loss.

Keywords

Auditory AuraEpilepsyDeafness
Type
Clinical Records
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 125 , Issue 6 , June 2011 , pp. 633 - 634
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1Burneo, JG, Tellez-Zenteno, J, Wiebe, S. Understanding the burden of epilepsy in Latin America: a systematic review of its prevalence and incidence. Epilepsy Res 2005;66:63–74CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2Florindo, I, Bisulli, F, Pittau, F, Naldi, I, Striano, P, Striano, S et al. Lateralizing value of the auditory aura in partial seizures. Epilepsia 2006;47:68–72CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3Hogan, RE, Kaiboriboon, K. John Hughlings-Jackson's writings on the auditory aura and localization of the auditory cortex. Epilepsia 2004;45:834–7CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
4Alvarez-Silva, S, Alvarez-Silva, I, Alvarez-Rodriguez, J, Perez-Echeverria, MJ, Campayo-Martinez, A, Rodriguez-Fernandez, FL. Epileptic consciousness: concept and meaning of aura. Epilepsy Behav 2006;8:527–33CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5Clarke, DF, Otsubo, H, Weiss, SK, Chitoku, S, Chuang, SH, Logan, WJ et al. The significance of ear plugging in localization-related epilepsy. Epilepsia 2003;44:1562–7CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6Penfield, W, Perot, P. The brain's record of auditory and visual experience. A final summary and discussion. Brain 1963;86:595–696CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7Mohamed, IS, Otsubo, H, Pang, E, Chuang, SH, Rutka, JT, Dirks, P et al. Magnetoencephalographic spike sources associated with auditory auras in paediatric localisation-related epilepsy. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2006;77:1256–61CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8Bisulli, F, Tinuper, P, Avoni, P, Striano, P, Striano, S, d'Orsi, G et al. Idiopathic partial epilepsy with auditory features (IPEAF): a clinical and genetic study of 53 sporadic cases. Brain 2004;127:1343–52CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9Vadlamudi, L, Scheffer, IE, Berkovic, SF. Genetics of temporal lobe epilepsy. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2003;74:1359–61CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed