Focal seizures revealing HaNDL syndrome (Transient headache and neurological deficits with lymphocytic pleocytosis)

Abstract

A 38-year-old woman with a history of migraine presented with two tonic-clonic seizures confined to the left size of the body, which occurred one hour apart. The second seizure was followed by severe headache and hemiplegia ipsilateral to the seizures, which persisted for 24 hours, reversing completely thereafter. Brain MRI and a 21-channel EEG were normal. A lumbar puncture revealed CSF under normal opening pressure, discrete lymphocyte pleocytosis, and normal glucose and protein levels. This patient meets the diagnostic criteria for HaNDL syndrome, a rare condition of unknown cause, whose prognosis is usually favorable, with complete reversal of symptoms within a few weeks. Its diagnosis must be taken into account to avoid the practice of invasive tests or complex treatments that are not devoid of adverse effects.