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Seizures: Classification

Seizures: Classification

Epilepsy is primarily characterized by unpredictable seizures, either provoked by an identifiable factor, such as injury or illness, or unprovoked, occurring spontaneously without apparent cause.
Seizures are typically classified into two main categories: focal and generalized seizures.
Focal Seizures
Focal seizures originate from specific regions of the brain. These seizures are further sub-classified into two types:

Epilepsy and Seizures: Overview

Epilepsy and Seizures: Overview

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disease marked by recurrent, unpredictable seizures. These seizures are caused by abnormal electrical discharges in the brain, leading to behavior, sensation, or consciousness alterations. They can also cause transient impairment of awareness, interfering with daily activities.
Various factors can trigger epilepsy, including genetic factors, brain damage, metabolic causes, and unknown etiology. Diagnosis of epilepsy involves electroencephalography (EEG), which...

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Author Spotlight: Advancing Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery in Children Through Novel Biomarkers and Enhanced Localization

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Diagnostic algorithm for children presenting with epilepsia partialis continua.

Snehal Surana¹, Thomas Rossor¹, Jane Hassell¹

¹Department of Paediatric Neurology, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, UK.

|September 3, 2020

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Epilepsia partialis continua (EPC) in children is often caused by Rasmussen encephalitis (RE) or mitochondrial disorders. Developing a diagnostic algorithm aids in timely and targeted investigations for these rare pediatric epilepsy syndromes.

Keywords:

POLG-related epilepsy Rasmussen encephalitis autoimmune epilepsy epilepsia partialis continua mitochondrial diseases

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Event-related Potentials During Target-response Tasks to Study Cognitive Processes of Upper Limb Use in Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy

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Interictal High Frequency Oscillations Detected with Simultaneous Magnetoencephalography and Electroencephalography as Biomarker of Pediatric Epilepsy

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Event-related Potentials During Target-response Tasks to Study Cognitive Processes of Upper Limb Use in Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy

Event-related Potentials During Target-response Tasks to Study Cognitive Processes of Upper Limb Use in Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy

Published on: January 11, 2016

Area of Science:

Pediatric Neurology
Neuroscience
Epileptology

Background:

Epilepsia partialis continua (EPC) is a rare and severe form of focal epilepsy characterized by continuous focal seizures.
Distinguishing the underlying cause of EPC in children is crucial for appropriate management and prognosis.
Previous studies have not fully characterized the differential diagnoses of EPC in pediatric populations.

Purpose of the Study:

To characterize a cohort of children with EPC and identify key differential diagnoses.
To develop a diagnostic algorithm for EPC in children to facilitate timely diagnosis and targeted investigations.

Main Methods:

Retrospective cohort study of children with EPC presenting to a tertiary pediatric neurology center (2002-2019).
Clinical data, neuroimaging (MRI), electroencephalogram (EEG), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis were reviewed.
Statistical analysis was performed to identify predictors for specific diagnoses.

Main Results:

Fifty-four children met EPC criteria. Rasmussen encephalitis (RE) accounted for 56%, mitochondrial disorders for 22.2%, and MRI lesion-positive focal epilepsy for 11.1%.
Mitochondrial disorders presented earlier and were associated with preceding developmental concerns, no prior seizures, bilateral EEG slowing, and elevated CSF protein.
MRI findings of hemiatrophy were common in RE, often developing progressively after EPC onset.

Conclusions:

Children with EPC present with distinct clinical and diagnostic features depending on the underlying etiology, primarily RE or mitochondrial disorders.
A structured diagnostic algorithm incorporating clinical presentation, EEG, MRI, and genetic testing is essential for efficient diagnosis of pediatric EPC.