The lateralizing and localizing value of peri-ictal cough in epileptic seizures

Summary Introduction Coughing may be observed as an epiphenomenon during or after epileptic seizures. Aim In this paper we discuss the lateralization and localization value of cough as an epileptic peri/post ictal semiological phenomenon. Material and Methods Seven patients presenting cough as a part of their symptomatology are presented. We will discuss cough in the context of these seven patients. Results Six out of these seven patients were multidrug resistant temporal lobe epilepsy patients, all were right handed. They were all examined for possible epilepsy surgery and four underwent surgery with complete seizure freedom. We do not have certain evidence for lateralization in one patient with hot water epilepsy though déjà vu as an initial symptom in this patient implies a temporal lobe onset. The seven other patients had temporal lobe epilepsy. Among the patients who had surgery, three had left sided and one had right sided temporal lobe surgery with consequent seizure freedom. Conclusion Referring to the argument in the literature, with our small patient sample, we might conclude that cough has significant value in localizing seizures to the temporal lobe but overall these limited data do not suggest a lateralizing value.