Rinsho Shinkeigaku (Clinical Neurology)

Case Report

Migraine with multiple visual symptoms and out-of-body experience may mimic epilepsy

Kyoko Hosokawa, M.D.1), Kiyohide Usami, M.D., Ph.D.2), Shunsuke Kajikawa, M.D.1), Akihiro Shimotake, M.D., Ph.D.1), Yoshihisa Tatsuoka, M.D., Ph.D.3), Akio Ikeda, M.D., Ph.D.2) and Ryosuke Takahashi, M.D., Ph.D.1)

1) Department of Neurology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine
2) Department of Epilepsy, Movement Disorders and Physiology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine
3) Tatsuoka Neurology Clinic

The patient was an 18-year-old man who had suffered from various visual symptoms as follows since he was 17 years old: 1) a diagonal line appeared in his visual field, shifting his upper field of view to the right and his lower field of view to the left; 2) his whole vision seemed distorted with ripples; and 3) black spots covered parts of his visual field and moved up and down. These visual symptoms were followed by out-of-body experience (OBE), which he felt as seeing his own body apart from his left back. Headache attacks followed these symptoms. On brain MRI, bilateral occipital atrophy was suspected. An electroencephalogram showed intermittent irregular delta in the bilateral occipital area. No epileptiform discharges were observed. We finally diagnosed him as having migraine with multiple visual auras and OBE. He was very well treated with a small dose of valproic acid which he tolerated well. OBE rarely occurs in migraine and should be distinguished from epilepsy.
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(CLINICA NEUROL, 61: 530|536, 2021)
key words: migraine, visual symptoms, out-of-body experience, epilepsy

(Received: 27-Dec-20)