Pure Salivatory Seizures Secondary to a Subtle Malformation of the Right Parietal Cortex

Abstract

Background: Salivatory seizures are a singularly rare condition, which can occur both in idiopathic and symptomatic epilepsies. Objectives: To describe and discuss the case of an adolescent patient with sleep-triggered “pure” salivatory seizures associated with a subtle cortical malformation of the right parietal cortex. Case report: Herein, we report a 17-year-old female who started to present salivatory paroxysms, which occasionally secondarily generalized, shortly after falling asleep, at the age of eight years. Video-electroencephalographic monitoring with scalp electrodes failed to show any epileptiform activity during the several recorded clinical events. Brain MRI and curvilinear reconstruction revealed, in the three orthogonal planes, a subtle cortical thickening, limited to a single gyrus in the right parietal cortex, suggestive of a focal cortical malformation. After antiepileptic drug therapy was optimized, the patient became seizure-free. Conclusion: An epilepsy diagnosis should be pursued in patients presenting isolated, paroxysmal hypersalivation, despite possible negative scalp EEG studies.