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Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Presenting as Panic Attacks: Detection of lnterictal Hypometabolism With Positron Emission Tomography
Author(s) -
Meyer Michael A,
Zimmerman Andrew W,
Miller Christopher A
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
journal of neuroimaging
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1552-6569
pISSN - 1051-2284
DOI - 10.1111/jon2000102120
Subject(s) - positron emission tomography , temporal lobe , epilepsy , medicine , panic , magnetic resonance imaging , neuroimaging , panic disorder , electroencephalography , radiology , psychiatry , anxiety
Cerebral glucose metabolism was studied using positron emission tomography (PET) in a 13‐year‐old girl with a history of panic attacks that were thought to be of psychiatric origin. Positron emission tomography imaging revealed marked right temporal lobe hypometabolism and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) detected T2 changes consistent with right mesial temporal sclerosis. Electroencephalogram (EEG) studies 3 years later confirmed a primary diagnosis of right temporal lobe epilepsy. As shown by this case and one other, PET and MRI imaging of patients with panic disorder who are thought to have epilepsy may be helpful in leading to definitive electrographic studies that confirm temporal lobe epilepsy as the primary diagnosis.