Also known as: Takayasu syndrome
Patrick, a 35-year-old savant pianist, presents with dystonia in his left hand, supraventricular tachycardia, seizures, and intracranial bleeding. After extensive workup including intracranial EEG, he is diagnosed with Takayasu arteritis, an autoimmune vasculitis. The team discovers his right brain hemisphere has been non-functional since a childhood accident, leading to a hemispherectomy to eliminate seizures and potentially improve function.
Also known as: Savantism
Patrick acquired savant syndrome with extraordinary piano abilities following a bus accident at age 10 that resulted in severe brain injury. House investigates how the brain rewired itself after the trauma, discovering through functional MRI that Patrick's musical abilities involve unique neural pathways. The savant abilities are eliminated when the damaged right hemisphere is surgically removed.
Also known as: Seizure disorder
Patrick has a chronic seizure disorder since his childhood brain injury, managed with anticonvulsant medication (clonazepam). His seizures worsen dramatically during the episode, occurring every five minutes at one point. The team discovers the seizures originate from the damaged right hemisphere, leading to the decision for hemispherectomy to eliminate them completely.
Also known as: SVT
Patrick develops supraventricular tachycardia with heart rate reaching 210 during surgery, requiring defibrillation. Initially thought to be the primary problem causing his dystonia, it turns out to be a secondary manifestation of the underlying vasculitis.
Also known as: Internal bleeding
During exploratory surgery, a bleed is discovered behind Patrick's kidney in the retroperitoneal cavity with no obvious source. This bleeding, along with intracranial hemorrhages, is later attributed to the vasculitis affecting multiple organ systems.
Also known as: Tertiary syphilis affecting the brain
House has a cerebral gumma (a mass caused by tertiary syphilis) that was initially misdiagnosed as brain cancer. The team discovers the true diagnosis through FTA antibody testing after his VDRL test was a false negative. However, this turns out to be a fake medical file created by House to gain access to an experimental brain stimulation trial.
Also known as: Bulimia
A clinic patient with a foot blister is confronted by House about her eating disorder after he notices signs including halitosis and gnarly fingers characteristic of self-induced vomiting. The diagnosis is made incidentally during a clinic visit.