25-Year-Old Woman With New-Onset Seizures
February 2009
in “
Mayo Clinic proceedings
”
TLDR A woman's new seizures were caused by a brain tumor likely linked to her past cancer treatment, and choosing safe seizure medications is important for women who can have children.
A 25-year-old woman with new-onset seizures was diagnosed with status epilepticus and found to have an intracranial meningioma, likely due to prior radiation treatment for childhood acute myelogenous leukemia. She underwent successful tumor resection and was managed with lamotrigine for long-term seizure control, remaining seizure-free. Meningiomas, which account for 15% of intracranial tumors and are more common in women, can be linked to prior radiation exposure and often present with seizures.
