A febrile child with seizure and hemiparesis.

Overview

Febrile seizures are the most common neurological disorders in children and are among the more common symptoms that lead to an emergency department visit. Although most febrile seizures are simple and benign, these seizures can infrequently create a diagnostic dilemma. The diagnosis of cerebral venous thrombosis is challenging to emergency physicians because it can mimic the presentation of many other disorders, including ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, tumor, and abscess. In addition, the broad variety of signs and symptoms makes the clinical diagnosis difficult. The patients may be presented with signs of increased intracranial pressure or focal neurological deficits. It is an uncommon but potentially dangerous cause of hemiparesis after seizure. Early recognition of this condition and appropriate management may reduce the mortality rate. We present a young child with dural sinus thrombosis who presented with seizures associated with fever and subsequent hemiparesis, and explained a possible mechanism of focal neurological deficit.