Epilepsy Flashcards
Epilepsy
Name 4 types of generalised seizures.
- tonic-clonic
- myoclonic
- absence
- tonic, clonic, atonic seizures
Epilepsy
Name 3 types of focal seizures.
- aura
- motor
- loss of awareness or responsiveness
Epilepsy
What is a generalised seizure?
simultaneous involvement of both hemispheres
- consciousness is always lost
Epilepsy
What is a focal seizure?
electrical discharge restricted to a limited part of the cortex of one cerebral hemisphere
- consciousness may be lost of maintained
further characterisable features
- aura
- motor
- change in awareness/consciousness
Epilepsy
Focal seizures with electrical activity confined to one part of the brain may spread after a few seconds, due to failure of inhibitory mechanisms, to involve the whole of both hemispheres, causing a ____
bilateral tonic–clonicseizure
Epilepsy
What is seen in an EEG every time a pt has an absence seizure?
3Hz spike-and-wave EEG activity
Epilepsy
How does an absence seizure appear to an observer?
loss of awareness and a vacant expression for less than 10 seconds before returning abruptly to normal and continuing as though nothing had happened
Epilepsy
What are the 3 phases of a Generalized tonic–clonic seizures.
Describe each stage
prodrome
- aura may or may not be present due to speed of onset of seizure
tonic clonic
- body stiffens
- synchronous jerking of the limbs
- eyes open / tongue bitten / incontinence
post-ictal phase
- flaccid body
- consciousness returns
- confusion/drowsiness and headache often present after
Epilepsy
____ seizures or ‘jerks’ take the form of momentary brief contractions of a muscle or muscle groups: for example, causing a sudden involuntary twitch of a finger or hand. They are common in primary generalized epilepsies.
myoclonic
Epilepsy
____ seizures consist of stiffening of the body, not followed by jerking.
Tonic
Epilepsy
____ seizures involve a sudden collapse with loss of muscle tone and consciousness.
Atonic
Epilepsy
What type of seizure does this describe?
These originate within the motor cortex. Jerking typically begins on one side of the mouth or in one hand, sometimes spreading to involve the entire side. This visible spread of activity is called the Jacksonian march of a seizure. Local temporary paralysis of the limbs affected sometimes follows: Todd’s paralysis.
focal motor seizures
Epilepsy
What type of seizure does this describe?
These usually arise from the temporal lobe (60%) or the frontal lobe. There is often a preceding aura followed by a period of complete or partial loss of awareness of surroundings, lasting for 1–2 minutes on average (as opposed to 10seconds in absence seizures), which the patient generally does not remember subsequently. This stage is accompanied by speech arrest and often by automatisms : semi-purposeful stereotyped motions such as lip smacking or dystonic limb posturing, or more complex motor behaviours such as walking in a circle or undressing. The attacks may be followed by a short period of post-ictal confusion or may develop into a bilateral tonic–clonic seizure.
Focal seizures with altered awareness or responsiveness
Epilepsy
The range of causes of epilepsy is different at different ages and in different countries.
* Children and teenagers : ____
* Younger adults : ____
* Older ages (>60years) : ____
- Children and teenagers : genetic, perinatal and congenital disorders predominate.
- Younger adults : trauma, drugs and alcohol are common.
- Older ages (>60years) : vascular disease and mass lesions such as neoplasms are important.
Epilepsy
Name 3 types of primary generalized epilepsies
- childhood absence epilepsy
- juvenile myoclonic epilepsy
- monogenic disorders
