Klinisch denken en beslissen in de praktijk. Een dirigent met epilepsie gevolgd door geheugenstoornissen

Translated title of the contribution: Clinical thinking and decision-making in practice. A conductor with epilepsy followed by memory defects

G. J.E. Rinkel*, P. J.A.M. Brouwers, D. A.J.E. Lambrechts

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalShort surveypeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A 40-year-old conductor was admitted because of increasing drowsiness and confusion. Two years before admission he had a first seizure. One year before admission he had a generalized convulsive status epilepticus, the following months he was less able to concentrate. A second status epilepticus was followed by transient weakness of his left arm and a depressed level of consciousness for several weeks. After awakening, he had delusions, and his wife found him demented. In the following months his confusion and drowsiness gradually deteriorated. He had previously had gonorrhoea, an episode of fever and exanthema, and was found to have oligospermia as cause of his infertility. On examination he was disoriented, and he had dysarthria. His left pupil was smaller, but both pupils reacted normally. There was left hemianopia and cerebellar ataxia. CT and MR showed large ventricles and periventricular diffuse lesions in the white matter. CSF examination revealed leucocytosis and increased protein content. Further examination were focussed on serological evidence of syphilis, and finally neurosyphilis was diagnosed. After treatment with penicillin, the patient started to recover.

Translated title of the contributionClinical thinking and decision-making in practice. A conductor with epilepsy followed by memory defects
Original languageDutch
Pages (from-to)723-726
Number of pages4
JournalNederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde
Volume141
Issue number15
Publication statusPublished - 12 Apr 1997

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Clinical thinking and decision-making in practice. A conductor with epilepsy followed by memory defects'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this