Postconvulsive central apnea as a biomarker for sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP).
Laura VilellaNuria LacueyJohnson P HampsonM R Sandhya RaniRup K SainjuDaniel FriedmanMaromi NeiKingman StrohlCatherine ScottBrian K GehlbachBilal ZonjyNorma J HuppAnita ZarembaNassim ShafiabadiXiuhe ZhaoVictoria Reick-MitrisinStephan U SchueleJennifer OgrenRonald M HarperBeate DiehlLisa BatemanOrrin DevinskyGeorge B RichersonPhilippe RyvlinSamden D LhatooPublished in: Neurology (2018)
PCCA occurred in both focal and generalized epilepsies, suggesting a different pathophysiology from ICA, which occurred only in focal epilepsy. PCCA was seen in 2 near-SUDEP cases and 1 probable SUDEP case, suggesting that this phenomenon may serve as a clinical biomarker of SUDEP. Larger studies are needed to validate this observation. Rhythmic postictal muscle artifact is suggestive of post-GCS breathing effort rather than a specific biomarker of laryngospasm.