Atypical case of Aicardi-Goutieres syndrome with late-onset myoclonic status

Aicardi-Goutieres syndrome (AGS) is a rare, progressive, autosomal recessive encephalopathy characterised by basal ganglia calcifications, chronic CSF lymphocytosis, and negative serological investigations for the common prenatal infections. The clinical profile is characterised by acquired microcephaly, mild to severe cognitive delay and dystonia. Epilepsy is usually not prominent. We report on a 19-year-old patient with an atypical clinical course, characterized by a relatively benign presentation at onset. Epilepsy with complex-focal seizures, possibly with a visual aura and sometimes with secondary generalization, started at the age of nine years. Clinical deterioration occurred later, and at the age of 17 years he experienced severe, generalized, myoclonic attacks lasting hours, which were partly controlled by the administration of piracetam.