Five patients had brief simple partial seizures that mimicked panic
disorder. The following features assisted diagnosis: Seizures were briefer
and more stereotyped than panic attacks; some progressed to typical complex
partial seizures; and aphasia and dysmnesia occurred during seizures in
some patients. Each patient had one mesial temporal structural lesion.
Routine waking EEG was normal in 2 patients. Inadequate response to
anti-epileptics necessitated partial temporal lobectomy in 4 patients, 3 of
whom remain seizure free.Abstract Teaser