Focal status epilepticus and hemiparesis in an 8-year-old boy.

An afebrile child with focal status epilepticus and an altered mental status presents a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Traditional morphological neuroimaging may be of limited value in the evaluation of such patients, and one may have to rely more upon functional neuroimaging studies. Recent advances in the understanding of the pathogenesis and the role of functional neuroimaging studies in the evaluation of focal status epilepticus are discussed.