Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and non-convulsive status epilepticus: a clinical and electroencephalographic follow-up study.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical and electroencephalographic findings from a confused elderly woman with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) that initially were compatible with the diagnosis of non-convulsive status epilepticus (NCSE).

METHODS AND RESULTS: A 75-year-old right-handed woman was admitted to our hospital because of confusion and alteration of mental status. The two first electroencephalograms (EEGs) showed continuous diffuse spikes, rhythmic sharp waves and sharp-and-slow wave complexes which were completely abolished after the administration of 10 mg of intravenous diazepam. Over the following days, the clinical state of the patient was unmodified despite aggressive antiepileptic therapy. A third EEG revealed pseudo-periodic negative or positive-negative slow waves localised in the right frontal region. Subsequently, two consecutive EEGs showed continuous periodic generalised bi-triphasic complexes at a rate of 1 Hz, compatible with the diagnosis of CJD. Finally, the patient died, and postmortem examination was diagnostic of the sporadic form of CJD.

CONCLUSIONS: Clinical and electroencephalographic features in the early stages of CJD may resemble NCSE. The administration of intravenous benzodiazepines and its clinical and electroencephalographic correlation, response to the antiepileptic therapy, and monitoring with serial EEG recordings may be helpful considerations in the differential diagnosis.