Generalized absence seizure:
Manifest by a sudden onset, interruption of ongoing activities, a blank stare. They generally occur in young children through adolescence.
GTC seizures
- There is a sudden sharp tonic contraction of muscles followed by a period of rigidity and clonic movements.
- During the seizure, the patient may cry or moan, lose sphincter control, bite the tongue, or develop cyanosis.
- After the seizure, the patient may have altered consciousness, drowsiness, or confusion for a variable period of time (postictal period) and frequently goes into a deep sleep.
- Tonic and clonic seizures can also occur separately
Myoclonic seizures
Manifests brief shock-like muscular contractions of the face, trunk, and extremities
Atonic seizures:
A sudden loss of muscle tone, which may present as a head drop, the dropping of a limb, or a slumping to the ground. Epilepsy Syndromes include many different seizure types e.g.
| Infantile Spasms (West Syndrome) | Doose Syndrome | Benign Rolandic Epilepsy (BRE) |
|---|---|---|
| Rasmussen Syndrome | Lennox-Gastuat Syndrome | Electrical Status Elipticus of Sleep (ESES) |
- The syndromic approach includes seizure type(s) and possible etiologic classifications (e.g., idiopathic, symptomatic, or unknown)