periictal water drinking localizes as does kissing epilepsy

Peri-ictal water drinking lateralizes seizure onset to the nondominant temporal lobe

E. Trinka, MD, G. Walser, MD, I. Unterberger, MD, G. Luef, MD, T. Benke, MD, L. Bartha, PhD, M. Ortler, MD and G. Bauer, MD

From the Universitätskliniken für Neurologie, Innsbruck (Drs. Trinka, Walser, Unterberger, Luef, Benke, Bartha, and Bauer), and Universitätsklinik für Neurochirurgie (Dr. Ortler), Innsbruck, Austria.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Eugen Trinka, MD, Universitätsklinik für Neurologie, Innsbruck, Anichstrasse 35, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria; e-mail: eugen.trinka@uklibk.ac.at

The authors describe seven patients with medically refractory temporal lobe epilepsy whose seizures were associated with peri-ictal water drinking behavior. Presurgical evaluation, including video-EEG monitoring, MRI, SPECT, and neuropsychological testing, revealed a seizure onset in the nondominant temporal lobe. All patients had an excellent outcome after epilepsy surgery. Peri-ictal water  drinking may represent a lateralizing sign indicating seizure onset in the nondominant temporal lobe.

^{AAN 2010 PO5:210
Ictal kissing is a release phenomenon in nondominant temporal lobe epilepsy. 3 patients with ictal kissing were all righthanded women with longstanding right TLE.  Its occurrence to environmental cues suggests its a release phenomenon rather than an ictal event}