mahmoud motamedi

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is one of the most frequent epileptic syndromes in adults. Some patients with epilepsy، especially TLE، have central auditory disorders، such as temporal processing، even though they have normal peripheral auditory function. The Gaps-in-Noise (GIN) test is one of the new tests for assessing auditory temporal resolution. The aim of this study was to evaluate temporal resolution ability in patients with unilateral temporal lobe epilepsy. In this cross-sectional and descriptive-analytic study، 25 subjects with temporal lobe epilepsy (11 patients with right temporal lobe epilepsy and 14 patients with left temporal lobe epilepsy) and 18 normal control subjects of 15 to 50 years of age were assessed by the GIN test. Parameters of GIN test were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and compared between the three groups. There was a significant difference in the mean of approximate threshold and percentage of correct answer in GIN test in the right ear، left ear، and mean of both ears between patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and normal subjects (p<0. 05). However، difference between right and left temporal lobe epilepsy groups were not significant (p>0. 05). The lower percentage of correct answer and higher approximate threshold in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy in comparison with the normal control group revealed temporal processing deficiencies especially in temporal resolution abilities. This may be due to involvement of structures related to temporal processing.

The effects of brain lesions on the ability to sequence auditory stimuli have been documented in numerous studies. Some investigations have demonstrated that for almost all people، left hemisphere is specialized in temporal processing، especially the temporal ordering. The Aim of this study was to evaluate the temporal processing abilities of patients with unilateral temporal lobe epilepsy by means of “duration pattern sequence«test. In this cross-sectional study، 25 temporal lobe epileptic subjects (11 patients with right temporal lobe epilepsy and 14 ones with left temporal lobe epilepsy) and 18 normal controls with the age range of 15 to 50 years were assessed by duration pattern test. All subjects were evaluated in rehabilitation faculty of Tehran University of Medical Science. The mean scores of correct answers were statistically compared between the three groups using one-way ANOVA. Tukey’s HSD test revealed significant differences between controls and patients with left temporal lobe epilepsy and also between patients with right and those with left temporal lobe epilepsy (P < 0. 05). Difference subjects between right temporal lobe epilepsy and normal groups، however، were not significant (P > 0. 05). Difficulties in processing of temporal ordering among the patients with left temporal lobe epilepsy can be considered as a proof for the specialization of the left temporal lobe in the processing of temporal ordering.

Unpredictable spells of epileptic seizures would result in embarrassment in society and have some negative impact on the patients’ social activities. The aim of this study was to show the perceived impact of epilepsy by patients on different aspect of their social activities including occupation, marriage and education. We studied 179 epileptic patients age 16 years and over with face to face interview. Nine domains including relation to spouses, relation to family members, social life, general health, interpersonal communications and friendships, feelings about success, hope for future, ordinary life and cope with others were considered. One hundred and seven men and 72 women were studied. Nearly 78% of the patients had generalized tonic-clonic seizures. More than half of the patients believed that epilepsy had affected their social life and activities. General health was negatively affected by this disease more than any other item; this may be due to uncontrolled spells or taking medications. About 15.5% of married and 39% of the single patients considered epilepsy as an obstacle to marry with their ideal spouses and more than half of the employed persons considered epilepsy as an obstacle for their job promotions. Epilepsy frequently impact on several aspects of life. The disease negatively affects social lives and activities, overall health, feelings about self, ability to work in paid employments, relationship with spouses, friends, and other family members, future plans, standards of living and ambitions of epileptic patients. Decreasing such impacts should be considered as an important part of treatment and proper management can certainly increase various aspects of life in these patients.

Epileptic seizures would result in embarrassment in society and have some negative impact on the patients’ social activities. The aim of this study was to show the perceived impact of epilepsy by patients on different aspect of their social activities including occupation, marriage and education. We studied 179 epileptic patients aged 16 years and over using face to face interview. Nine domains including relation to spouses, relation to family members, social life, general health, interpersonal communications and friendships, feelings about success, hope for future, ordinary life and cope with others were considered. One hundred and seven men and 72 women were studied. Nearly 78% of the patients had generalized tonic clonic seizures. More than half of the patients believed that epilepsy had affected their social life and activities. General health was negatively affected by this disease more than any other item. This may be due to uncontrolled attacks or taking medications. About 15.5% of married and 39% of the single patients considered epilepsy as an obstacle to marry with their ideal spouses and more than half of the employed persons considered epilepsy as an obstacle for their job promotions. Epilepsy frequently impacts on several aspects of life. The disease negatively affects social life and activities, overall health, feelings about self, ability to work in paid employments, relationship with spouses, friends, and other family members, future plans, standards of living and ambitions of epileptic patients. Decreasing such impacts should be considered as an important part of treatment and proper management can certainly increase various aspects of life in these patients.

To evaluate the prevalence of peri-ictal urinary symptoms and their association with seizure type in patients with epilepsy. A total of 115 patients with epilepsy were recruited consecutively from neurology clinic between January 2006 and January 2008. Peri-ictal period was defined as the period ranging from 2 minutes prior to seizure attack up to 48 hours after it, and post-ictal period was the time up to 48 hours after regaining consciousness. Peri-ictal urinary complaints were gathered with interview and data were analyzed using Pearson's Chi-square, Fisher's Exact test, and independent sample t test. The study population consisted of 57 (49.5%) men and 58 (50.4%) women, with the mean age of 26.83 ± 10.01 years. The frequency of at least one urinary symptom in studied patients was 39.1%. Incontinence, frequency, urgency, retention, and hesitancy were reported by 28 (24.3%), 14 (12.2%), 19 (16.5%), 10 (8.7%), and 8 (7%) patients, respectively. Women expressed more symptoms than men and a higher frequency of peri-ictal retention. Although overall urinary complaints were more frequent in patients with partial seizures, there was a higher frequency of urgency in patients with partial seizure (P =. 037). Furthermore, apart from retention, there was no significant correlation between peri-ictal urinary symptoms and the patient's age. Our findings suggest that peri-ictal urologic dysfunction is a common problem among patients with epilepsy and post-ictal urinary retention might also be considered as a post-ictal deficit (Todd's deficit).