Introduction
Cerebrovascular disease is the leading cause of epilepsy in adults. Epilepsy secondary to acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is associated with worse outcomes. The prevalence varies in different studies. Risk factors for this condition have been described, some inconsistency.
Objective
To determine the prevalence of Post-ischemic Stroke epilepsy (PSE) at a fourth-level hospital in Bogotá, Colombia.
Methodology
Cross-sectional study included adults with a diagnosis of AIS by MRI or CT scan and epilepsy during 2014–2019. The prevalence of PSE (a seizure 7 days after AIS) was determined, and its characteristics were described. Statistical analysis was performed in Stata/SE 17.
Results
A total of 465 patients were identified, of whom 343 did not present lost to follow-up. Eighteen (5.25%) developed epilepsy, and 83.3% were men. The most common seizure was focal to bilateral tonic–clonic component (53%). Patients who developed PSE had a higher average on the NIHSS scale (15.67 vs 6.25), a higher proportion of cortical involvement (88.89% vs 67.08%), cardioembolic etiology (38.89% vs 27.38%). The principal outcomes were hemorrhagic transformation (50% vs 9.54%), intravenous thrombolysis (44.44% vs 23.09%), and mechanical thrombectomy (22.22% vs 4.92%). The most common antiseizure drug was levetiracetam.
Significance
The prevalence of PSE was 5.25%. The patients who developed this complication were mostly men and presented a higher proportion of severity, cortical compromise, cardioembolic etiology, hemorrhagic transformation, and reperfusion treatments.
