Tongue biting as a lateralizing sign in partial epilepsy

Lateral tongue biting is associated with seizures. This analysis investigates lateral tongue biting as a lateralizing sing in partial seizures. Of 106 consecutively monitored patients, seven had partial epilepsy and sustained a tongue injury during a seizure. The relationship between the side of tongue injury and the hemisphere of seizure onset in these seven patients was analysed. The tongue injury was ipsilateral to the epileptogenic zone in 5 and contralateral in 2, for a predictive value of 71%. Lateral tongue biting may be a useful adjunctive lateralizing sign in partial seizures.