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Background: Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by abnormal firing of nerve impulses in the brain., Aim: This study aims to investigate the frequency of appearance of pathological changes in conventional examination methods (electroencephalography-EEG, brain computerized tomography -CT or brain magnetic resonance imaging - MRI) in patients with epilepsy, and relationship between clinical manifestations and localization of changes in CT or MRI., Methods: In this study we have included 110 patients with focal epilepsy who fulfilled the inclusion criteria out of 557 initially diagnosed patients. Detailed clinical examination together with brain imaging (CT and MRI) and electroencephalography examination was performed. We have evaluated the accuracy of each diagnostic method to localize the epileptic focus. Diagnosis of epilepsy was determined by the ILAE (International League Against Epilepsy) criteria of the year 1989, and classification of epileptic seizures was made according to the ILAE classification 2010., Results: Electroencephalography presented changes in 60.9% of patients; brain CT in 42.1%, and MRI in 78% of the patients. The results of our study showed that clinical manifestations were not always conveyed with pathological changes in conventional examining methods performed. Of the total of 79 patients with changes in imaging (8 with changes in CT and 71 in MRI), 79.7% presented a clinical picture compatible with the region in which morphological changes were found, while in 20.3% of patients the presented morphological changes were not aligned with the clinical picture., Conclusion: In patients with epilepsy, conventional examination methods do not always find pathological changes, while clinical manifestations of epilepsy did not always coincide with the location of changes in imaging. Further studies are needed to see if there is clear border between focal and generalized epilepsy., Competing Interests: • Conflict of interest: none declared.

Background and Objectives: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic recurrent neurological disease that affects the Central Nervous System. This study aims to determine epidemiological factors that affect the appearance of MS, such as: incidence, prevalence, mortality, case appearance in accordance with the disease phase RRMS, SPMS, PPMS, gender, age, age group, and EDSS., Materials and Methods: Deals with analyzing diagnosed and treated patients in the Clinic of Neurology in Prishtina during the period of 2003-2012. The research was conducted through a questionnaire applied in the diagnosed cases of MS. Information on patients was gathered from: history of illness, discharge reports and other relevant documents on MS illness. Clinical and epidemiological-descriptive study methods were used. The acquired results are shown through tables, graphics. Statistical processing was conducted with Microsoft Office Excel., Results: From the total number of doubtful hospitalized cases of demyelinization (644) in the Clinic of Neurology in Prishtina, 412 cases (64%) were diagnosed with MS. For the period of 2003-2012 the prevalence of MS has been 19.6 of patients in 100,000 inhabitants. MS incidence rate was 0.95 of patients in 100,000 inhabitants. MS mortality rate was 0.14 of deceased in 100,000 inhabitants. The ratio female - male is 2.3:1. A larger number of patients fall within the age group of 30-39 years-old. Clinical form trends: RRSM 72.3%, SPSM 22.6%, PPSM 5.1%. The rate of EDSS 78.3% (0-3.5), 14.9% (4-6.5), 6.8% (7-9).

Aim: To evaluate the usefulness of MMSE score in vascular dementia and the influence of different factors on the MMSE score., Subject and Methods: We studied 78 stroke patients followed up at the neurology unit, Specialistic Polyclinic 2, Tirana. A neurological visit is done and the MMSE score is calculated for each of them. We noted the stroke form (ischemic, hemorrhagic), patient's age, education, time from stroke onset, accompanying neurological disorders (parkinsonism, epilepsy), risk factors (arterial hypertension, cardiac diseases, diabetes mellitus, smoking, carotid stenosis). The imaging (CT and/or MRI) of the brain is requested. Independent Samples Test, t-test for Equality of Means, 2 - tailed, is applied for the statistical evaluation., Results: The mean age of the patients in the study is 70.31 years old. There are 37 females (47.43%) and 41 males (52.56%). 12 (15.38%) patients had hemorrhagic and 66 (84.61%) ischemic stroke. The mean time from stroke onset is 4.55 years. 15 (19.2%) patients have parkinsonism, 1 other extra pyramidal disorder, 3 (3.8%) secondary generalized epilepsy. The mean MMSE score for all patients is 23.48. The multi ischemic cerebral lesions were present in the imaging of 12 (15.38%) patients. The generalized cortical atrophy is found in 25 (32%) patients and the temporal atrophy in 14 (17.94%) patients. We analyzed the data of 37 patients [16 (43.24%) females and 21 (56.75%) males], with MMSE score < or = 23. The mean age is 75.39 years old. 6 (16.21%) patients are diagnosed with hemorrhagic stroke. 3 (8.1%) patients have secondary generalized epilepsy, 9 (24.32%) are suffering of parkinsonism and the mean time from stroke onset is 4.31 years. The imaging study revealed multi ischemic cerebral lesions in 9 (24.3%) patients. We found accompanying temporal atrophy in 10 (27%) patients, frontal atrophy in 2 (5.4%) patients, and generalized cortical atrophy in 17 (45.9%) patients., Conclusion: Dementia after stroke is frequent. The MMSE is still a useful scale to evaluate the VaD and is related to age, gender, education, stroke age, cardiovascular risk factors, stroke type and localization, other neurological disorders as epilepsy and parkinsonism.

Introduction: Pediatric SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy) is an uncommon event, but its unpredictability has rendered the issue very important to be addressed, under all points of view: medical, moral and legal one. The death of a child has been always considered a dramatic event for the Albanian families, and when it overcomes unexpectedly the emotional reactions might even be more exaggerated., Discussion: Debates about truth-telling on the prognosis, or even on the probability of a sudden death related to the main diagnosis (epilepsy) are old and controversial. Risk factors for SUDEP have been formulated and strategies to confront them have been put in place; however medical (pharmacological) compliance seems by large the most important protective factor., Conclusion: To our opinion, disclosing the risk of a sudden death to the family on a child suffering from epilepsy is a necessary act; timing and ways of disclosure are details that need to be refined case-by-case, in a situation where a general consensus or guidelines are lacking. A step-by-step approach and a gradual informing are helpful and psychologically acceptable from the parents or other relatives.