Functional convergence spasm: an unexpected finding in a patient with focal epilepsy
G. Mastroianni, S. Neri, M. Ascoli, S. Gasparini, V. Cianci, U. Aguglia, E. Ferlazzo Regional Epilepsy Centre, Great Metropolitan Hospital Bianchi-Melacrino-Morelli, Reggio Calabria, Italy. ferlazzo@unicz.it
OBJECTIVE: Convergence spasm is a clinical condition characterized by transient episodes of convergence, miosis and accommodation with strabismus and diplopia and it is usually a manifestation of a functional neurological disorder. We describe a patient with a challenging diagnosis of convergence spasm in the setting of occipital lobe epilepsy.
CASE REPORT: A 52-year-old woman came for the assessment of focal epilepsy due to left occipital cortical dysplasia. During ocular motility tests, she presented with episodes of short duration (~10-30 seconds) of convergent strabismus. Neuropsychological evaluation showed a severe mixed anxiety-depressive disorder with a tendency toward somatization.
RESULTS: Convergence spasm was recorded during video-EEG examination and no ictal activity was present.
CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, no other report of functional convergence spasm in the context of focal epilepsy associated with cortical dysplasia has been described in literature.
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To cite this article
G. Mastroianni, S. Neri, M. Ascoli, S. Gasparini, V. Cianci, U. Aguglia, E. Ferlazzo
Functional convergence spasm: an unexpected finding in a patient with focal epilepsy
Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci
Year: 2021
Vol. 25 - N. 22
Pages: 6995-6998
DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202111_27247