Skier’s syncope on the slopes: Is it epilepsy?

A skier’s slippery slope of misdiagnosis and misery after a 'seizure'
Dr Moksh Sethi

Mike is a 35-year-old man from regional Victoria who presents to a neurologist after experiencing an episode on a family holiday to a local alpine ski resort.

The initial description of the event was that Mike fell suddenly to the ground while skiing and was unresponsive with ‘whole body shaking’.

Mike was taken via ambulance to the nearby regional hospital, where he had a full trauma screen, including a CT brain, which was all reported as normal.

The hospital staff advised Mike that they ‘suspected he had an epileptic seizure’ and that he should not drive until he had a neurology review.