Seizure Types

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Partial Seizures

Simple Partial

  • Presentation: Varied presentation dependent on which part of the cortex is affected

  • Duration: 20 to 60 seconds

  • Consciousness: Preserved.

Complex Partial

  • Presentation: Presentation incluces purposeless movement, e.g. lip smacking

  • Duration: 30 to 60 seconds

  • Consciousness: Impaired

Partial with Secondarily Generalized Tonic-Clonic Seizures

  • Presentation: Simple or complex partial becomes a tonic-clonic generalized seizure (tonic general muscular contractions) with alternating contractions and relaxations.

  • Duration: one- two minutes

  • Consciousness: Loss of Consciousness

 

Generalized Seizures

Absence Seizures

  • Presentation: Abrupt onset: staring and stopping activities

  • Duration: less than 30 seconds

  • Consciousness: Impaired

Myoclonic Seizures

  • Presentation: One or two brief shocklike muscle contractions; generalized or restricted to one limb

  • Duration: very brief

  • Consciousness: Preserved

Tonic-Clonic Seizures

  • Presentation: generalized seizure (tonic general muscular contractions) with alternating contractions and relaxations.

  • Duration: one- two minutes

  • Consciousness: Loss of Consciousness

 

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[McNamara, J.O., Drugs Effective in the Therapy of the Epilepsies In, Goodman and Gillman's The Pharmacologial Basis of Therapeutics, (Hardman, J.G, Limbird, L.E, Molinoff, P.B., Ruddon, R.W, and Gilman, A.G., eds) TheMcGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.,1996, pp.462.