Focal epilepsy as a possible sign of transient subclinical ischemia.

Late-onset partial epileptic seizures occurred in 10 patients with symptoms and/or signs of ischemic cerebrovascular disease (ICVD) and were associated with transient ischemic attacks in 7 of them. History, somatic and neurological examinations, laboratory and ancillary investigations and follow-up revealed no other disease which might be responsible for the seizures. The anatomical and temporal proximity of signs of ICVD indicate the latter as the most likely cause of seizures. Although the available neuroimaging did not allow us to rule out the presence of silent cerebral infarctions in all patients, it is conceivable that jacksonian seizures, and more rarely complex partial seizures, might occasionally represent a clinical sign due to transient cerebral ischemia and thus herald major cerebrovascular events.