Stavros Balogiannis

Influence of sleep disturbance on quality of life of patients with epilepsy

The frequency of sleep disturbances in patients with epilepsy and their impact on quality of life (QoL) have been documented in a few reports, and the results are conflicting. We identified 124 consecutive epilepsy out-patients who visited the epilepsy out-patient clinics at the University Hospital of Alexandroupolis, the AHEPA Hospital in Thessaloniki and the Aeginitio Hospital in Athens. We measured excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) with the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with the Sleep Apnea scale of the Sleep Disorders Questionnaire (SA-SDQ), and insomnia with the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS). We evaluated quality of life by the Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory (QOLIE-31). EDS was found in 16.9% (21/124) of epileptic patients, OSA in 28.2% (35/124), and insomnia in 24.6% (30/122). In multivariate analysis, we found that insomnia was an independent negative factor for Total score (p<0.001), Overall QoL (p=0.002), Emotional well-being (p<0.001), Energy/fatigue (p<0.001), Cognitive functioning (p=0.04) and Social functioning (p=0.03), and OSA only for Cognitive functioning (p=0.01). According to our findings, EDS, OSA, and insomnia are frequent in epileptic patients. Epileptic patients with sleep disturbance, mainly insomnia, have significant QoL impairment.

A rare case of extensive cavernous hemangioma of the brainstem combined with multiple pathological and anatomical abnormalities

We present the case of a 14-year-old Caucasian female, with intracranial hemorrhage due to an extensive brainstem cavernous hemangioma, asymptomatic until the date of her admission. Further investigation revealed multiple brain cavernous hemangiomas with two supratentorial hemangiomas demonstrating signs of past bleeding, a cervical vertebral dysplasia (Klippel-Feil type II) and nephrolithiasis, in addition to her history of polycystic ovaries and impaired glucose tolerance, all together presenting a novel clinical combination. We are describing the management of such a patient, according to our current knowledge, inquiring into the possible connections between the conditions detected, as well as, discussing the questions that arise from this rare case.

Hashimoto encephalopathy: a case report of a mixed type

Meeting abstracts - A single PDF containing all abstracts in this Supplement is available here .

Disorders of personality in multiple sclerosis patients

cancelled