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A patient with infantile spasms and low homovanillic acid levels in cerebrospinal fluid: l-dopa dependent seizures?

  • Neuropediatrics
  • Original Papers
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Abstract

We report a 3-month-old female with infantile spasms that responded transiently to pyridoxine and permanently to oral l-dopa. Initial CSF levels of homovanillic acid were low, suggesting disturbed turnover of dopamine. These findings suggest that disturbed brain monoamine metabolism may be causally related to infantile spasms.

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Abbreviations

CSF:

cerebrospinal fluid

HVA:

homovanillic acid

5-HIAA:

5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Paediatrics, Tokyo Women's Medical College, Tokyo, Japan

    H. Sugie, Y. Sugie & Y. Fukuyama

  2. Department of Paediatrics, Hamamatsu University Medical School, 3600 Handa-cho, 431-31, Hamamatsu, Japan

    H. Sugie & Y. Sugie

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Shiga Medical College, Ohtsu, Japan

    N. Kato

Authors
  1. H. Sugie
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  2. Y. Sugie
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  3. N. Kato
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  4. Y. Fukuyama
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Additional information

This report is dedicated to Professor Yukio Fukuyama on the occasion of the 20-year anniversary of his chairmanship at the Department of Paediatrics, Tokyo Women's Medical College

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Sugie, H., Sugie, Y., Kato, N. et al. A patient with infantile spasms and low homovanillic acid levels in cerebrospinal fluid: l-dopa dependent seizures?. Eur J Pediatr 148, 667–668 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00441530

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00441530

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