MRA resuls unclear

[HeatherHPhilly]

Hello.  I am a 22 year-old female in relatively good health.  I have have one instance of a tonic clonic seizure, and serveral instances of complex-partial seizures (according to my newest neurologist).  My question concerns to results I received for my MRA test.  My EEG was normal, once again, and my glucose tolerance test was also normal.  However, it appears as if my MRA showed signs of mild encephalopathic hippocampo gyrus (bilaterally).  I have absolutely no idea what this means, and my appointment isn't for another couple of weeks.  Could you possibly try to make sense of this for me?  I'm not sure if it relates to my seizures at all...  

Thank you,
Heather H.

[HeatherHPhilly]

Hello.  My seizure history actually began with one isolated case of a tonic clonic seizure during my winter break of my freshman year in college.  I had no other seizures for the next year.  Over the next few years, I had about 3 or 4 complex partial seizures.  My neurologist explained that the lab report findings were of changes in the hippocampus and that such findings were normal in patients who have seizure disorders.  (BTW, I was diagnosed with encephalitis at about 13 or so but my doctor was pretty poor and I highly doubt that's what it was.)  However, he did find that my blood work came back with a positive reading for ANAs.  He has since recommended that I speak with a rheumatologist.  He believes strongly that Lupus could be the cause for all the seizures and numerous other physical complaints that I have.  I understand that some people are more likely to have higher ANA readings if autoimmune diseases run in their families.  (My aunt was diagnosed with a severe form of RA at 21 and has become very disfigured in the past thiry+ years.)  Would that make it more likely that I would have Lupus or that I would have a false positive?  Or is there any way to know at all?  

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hello.

I don't think these are the exact words in the report. But I do get an impression that your present neurologist is absolutely correct in saying you had many complex partial seizures. Complex partial seizures have an origin in the temporal lobes. Over a period of time, complex partial seizures can covert into generalized tonic clonic seizures.

The scan shows the temporal lobe to be affected by encephalopathy. Encephalopathy is a term used to describe a dysfunction, disease of the brain. Did you have any infections of the ear? Any herpes infections?

Regards