Progression of electroclinical changes in complex partial status epilepticus: filling in the blanks.

Treiman has described five electroclinical stages through which the EEG progresses during generalized convulsive status epilepticus (GCSE). The EEG can show similar patterns in patients with complex partial status epilepticus (CPSE), but there is no agreement as to whether the different patterns seen in the human EEG result from a similar orderly progression through similar stages. We report the case of a patient in CPSE whose EEG passed progressively through two of the earlier stages described by Treiman. This case of EEG progression in a single patient suggests that CPSE can progress through stages analogous to those in GCSE.