Epilepsy secondary to brain injury by electrocution: A case report

Abstract

Introduction: According to the Yearbook of Accidents of Electrical Origin for the year 2022, 853 accidents due to electric shock were reported in Brazil, of which 592 died, a reduction of 12.2% in mortality compared to the previous year. Three conditions elucidate trauma switches caused by the passage of electric current, the regulatory alterations by the passage of electric current, the conversion of electrical energy into thermal, known as the Joule effect, and muscle damage by the electrical stimulus of exacerbated contractions. Case Report: A 51-year-old male patient was followed up on an outpatient basis due to a nervous breakdown caused by accident with a high-voltage electrical discharge 15 years ago. After the event, he evolved with conduction aphasia, homonymous hemianopia on the right, hypoesthesia on the right side of the body, dysmetria on the right upper limb, and epileptic seizures of focal onset, evolving into tonic-clonic seizures. For seizure control, carbamazepine 200 mg 3 times a day was administered, with complete seizure control since then. Conclusion: Therefore, it is important to emphasize that the damage caused by electrocution to the central nervous system (CNS) is varied. Still, due to the patient’s clinical presentation, his neuroimaging findings, and his history, this is epilepsy secondary to electrocution. Encephalomalacia demonstrates a large scar in the brain tissue, and its control of seizure episodes with the adopted pharmacotherapy also corroborates.