Laughter as a sign for gelastic seizures

Ahhh, the sound of waves hitting the beach, birds chirping, the laughter of a child—these are things people might cite as the most pleasant sounds we hear.  However, one of the examples above might be a sign of something more severe.  One sign of a gelastic seizure is short bursts of unexplained giggling or laughing (Kerrigan and Iyengar, 2017).  What parent would think to bring their child to the doctor because of laughter?  Many times, parents do not seek medical attention until another type of seizure begins to develop. 

In the case of Justin Cho, his parents thought he was just a happy child, but after he suffered a more severe epileptic seizure, they realized his laughter was a symptom all along.  Justin had a lesion in his brain called a hypothalamic haratoma that was caught during an MRI after his seizure.  Left untreated, a lesion of this type could cause problems with cognitive development (Kerrigan and Iyengar, 2017).  Using state-of-the-art technology, doctors were able to destroy the lesion using a laser during a minimally invasive procedure (Mohney, 2017).  Minimally invasive procedures of this type seem to be on the rise today throughout the medical community, given the lower risk for infection and shorter recovery times.  

MRI of a hypothalamic haratoma

https://images.radiopaedia.org/images/1989176/c256908147f43b8f42fb938b4d0740_big_gallery.jpeg

This case is just one more example of how something seemingly benign can actually be something much more serious.  Thankfully, Justin made a full recovery and is back to his normal self.

Works Cited:

Kerrigan J.F. and Iyengar, S. (2017). Gelastic and Dacrystic Seizures.  Retrieved from: http://www.epilepsy.com/learn/types-seizures/gelastic-and-dacrystic-seizures

Mohney, G. (March 24, 2017).  Boy's giggle fits turned out to be rare form of epileptic seizures. Retrieved from: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/boys-giggle-fits-turned-rare-form-epileptic-seizures/story?id=46349008