PLEDs in Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease following a cadaveric dural graft

Introduction: Periodic synchronous discharges (PSDs) are a well-known electroencephalographic finding associated with Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (CJD), but only a few reports have documented the appearance of periodic lateralized epileptiform discharges (PLEDs) in CJD and there has been no discussion as to why PLEDs appear with unilateral (right or left) dominance. Case report and discussion: We report on a 61-year-old man who received a cadaveric dura mater graft and developed CJD 14 years later. Periodic lateralized epileptiform discharges (PLEDs) were observed predominantly in the right hemisphere, coinciding with the location of the dural graft, the presumed source of the CJD agent and PLEDs seen in this case finally developed into PSDs. A similar case has not been reported in the literature and we believe this case serves to further the understanding of the pathophysiology of CJD.