Abstracts

Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis (SSPE) is a devastating progressive degenerative disease of the nervous system presumably caused by a persistent measles virus. Patients commonly present with myoclonia or encephalopathy. There are currently no known curative therapeutic options or effective symptomatic therapy. We present a patient whose encephalopathy and myoclonus responded dramatically to levetiracetam., A 12 year old boy presented with acute encephalopathy and myoclonus developing over one month. Electroencephalogram (EEG) showed high voltage generalized periodic discharges associated with myoclonic jerks, recurring at intervals of 6-7 seconds. The suspected diagnosis of SSPE was confirmed with very elevated CSF measles antibodies., Treatment with levetiracetam dramatically improved both the myoclonus and encephalopathy within a few days. The EEG pattern showed improvement as well., Levetiracetam was effective in treating both myoclonus and encephalopathy in one patient with SSPE. We speculate that the electrical abnormality demonstrated in the characteristic EEG pattern contributes significantly to the encephalopathy seen in SSPE patients. Levetiracetam appears to improve the abnormal cortical electrical activity and is a promising symptomatic therapy in SSPE.,