Convulsions after enflurane in a schizophrenic patient receiving neuroleptics

Abstract

A schizophrenic patient suffered from an episode of unexpected grand mal seizure following an enflurance anaesthetic for biopsy of an orbital lesion. The seizure was brief and subsided spontaneously. An assessment of the anaesthetic technique and a thorough neurological examination which included a CT scan and an EEG, failed to demonstrate any obvious cause for the convulsion. The patient was not an epileptic and was receiving neuroleptic drugs preoperatively for the treatment of schizo-phrenia. A synergistic role of enflurane and neuroleptic drugs in producing seizure activity in this patient is a distinct possibility. Caution is therefore recommended when administering enflurane to patients on neuroleptic drugs. © 1994 Canadian Anaesthesiologists.