Epilepsy

Question 1

What is an epileptic seizure?

Answer 1

A change in neurologic function that is associated with abnormal hypersynchronous discharge of cortical neurons.

Question 2

What is a convulsion?

Answer 2

It is an epileptic seizure that includes a prominent motor component.

Question 3

What is an electrographic seizure?

Answer 3

A seizure discharge recorded on the EEG without any associated cilnical change.

Question 4

What is epilepsy?

Answer 4

It is a tendency to spontaneous unprovoked seizures.The simplest working definition is a patient that has had two or more unprovoked seizures. A tendency towards recurrent unprovoked seizures

Question 5

What is idiopathic epilepsy?

Answer 5

epilepsy that has not occurred as a consequence o another condition or disorder. primary generalized epilepsies, a group of genetic epilepsies, come under this category and in this usage the term primary is synonymous with idiopathic.

Question 6

What is cryptogenic epilepsy?

Answer 6

When the cause cannot be specifically identified but is presumed to exist

Question 7

What is symptomatic epilepsy?

Answer 7

a seizure disorer that has a clear antecendent cause for example head trauma, stroke, cns infection

Question 8

What is partial or focal seizure?

Answer 8

localized to one area of brain. refers to onset. can secondarily become generalized. a classic example of a partialsizure which spreads is the Jacksonian march: a seizure that egins with clonic activity in one limb or face and sequentially spreads ot the remaineder of the involved hemibody finally involving both sides with a bilterally synchronous clonic convulsion.

Question 9

What is Todd’s paralysis

Answer 9

When a motor seizure only involved part of the body, the seizure episode may be followed by a transient weakness in the involved area. Usually resolves promptly.

Question 10

What is a complex partial seizure?

Answer 10

there is impaired consciousness along with he partial seizure

Question 11

What is a simple partial seizure?

Answer 11

consciousness is retained but it is partial

Question 12

What are signs of seizures?

Answer 12

• activity that begins in one side
• preferential eye turning
• one side stiff wile other side limp
• positive vs negative (seizures are mostly positive signs, negative signs are usually other things)
• automatisms (ipsilateral to lobe will be things you do autonomically like moving your hand or brushing your hair, other lobe is still free)

Question 13

What are some background features of seizures?

Answer 13

• early handedness (might be a sign of asymmetric brain)
• limb asymmetry (usually pretty small)
• developmental delay

Question 14

What are generalize seizures?

Answer 14

Discharge that drives the seizure is seen in all cortical areas at seizure onset.
x: absence seizures, myoclonic seizures, clonic seizures, tonic seizures, generalized tonic-clonic seizures, atonic sizures

Question 15

What are absence seizures?

Answer 15

pure star from 3-15 seconds with complete unawareness of the environment. accompanied by clsasic 3 Hz generalized spike-wave discharges. usually unaware

Question 16

What are myoclonic seizures?

Answer 16

lightning like or shock like contractin of muscles. may consist of a single jerk or a quick serioes of jerks in a burst. msot common location is upper shoulder girdle. in that case the myoclonus consists of a quick series of extensor jerks at the shoulders. accompanied by poly spike on eeg

Question 17

What is generalized clonic seizure?

Answer 17

Repetitive, synchronous, rhythmical whole body jerks

Question 18

What is generalized tonic seizure?

Answer 18

tonic stiffening of the whole body, most often in extension

Question 19

What is generalized tonic clonic seizure?

Answer 19

seizure sequence of whole body tonic stiffening follwed by whole body clonic jerking

Question 20

What is atonic seizure?

Answer 20

It would manifest as a sudden loss of tone, usually of the axial musculature
may manifest. may manifest as a head-drop during which the head falls forward on the body. most dramatic is drop attack in which the patient collapses to the ground.