Epilepsy Flashcards
How is a diagnosis of epilepsy made? (2)
EEG
MRI brain
What are the features of a tonic clinic seizure?
Muscle tensing followed by muscle jerking
Post - ictal period afterwards where patient can be confused, drowsy and depressed
What is the management of tonic clonic seizures? (2)
First line : sodium valproate
Second line: carbamazepine
Which lobe of the brain does a focal seizure start in?
Temporal
How do focal seizures present? (4)
Hallucinating
Memory flashbacks
Deja Vu
Doing strange things on autopilot
What is the treatment of focal seizures (2)
“Reverse of tonic clonic”
First line: Carbamazepine or lamotrigine
Second line: sodium valproate
What is the type of seizure which typically occurs in children and is characterised by vacancy
Absence seizures
What is the treatment of absence seizures?
Sodium valproate
Infantile spasms is also known as ___ syndrome
West
What are the treatments for infantile spasms/west syndrome (2)
Prednisolone
Vigabatrin
Side effects of sodium valproate (4)
Teratogenic
Liver damage/hepatitis
Hair loss
Tremor
What are the side effects of carbamazepine? (3)
Agranulocytosis
Aplastic anaemia
CP450 inducer
Side effects of lamotrigine (2)
Leukopenia
SJS
Status epilepticus is a medical ___ and is classed as seizures lasting over ___ minutes or more than __ seizures in one hour
Emergency
5 minutes
3 seizures
What are the treatments for status epilepticus in a hospital setting? (2)
Initially IV lorazepam
If seizures persist: IV phenytoin or phenobarbital
