Epilepsy

Epilepsy (often referred to as a seizure disorder) is a chronic neurological condition characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures. The condition is named from the Greek epilepsia ("a taking hold of or seizing"). It is commonly controlled with medication, although surgical methods are used as well.

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of epilepsy requires the presence of recurrent, unprovoked seizures; accordingly, it is usually made based on the medical history. EEG, brain MRI, SPECT, PET, and magnetoencephalography may be useful to discover an etiology for the epilepsy, discover the affected brain region, or classify the epileptic syndrome, but these studies are not useful in making the initial diagnosis.

Related Topics:
Medical history - EEG - MRI - SPECT - PET - Magnetoencephalography - Etiology

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Long-term video-EEG monitoring for epilepsy is the gold standard for diagnosis, but it is not routinely employed owing to its high cost and inconvenience. It is, however, sometimes used to distinguish psychogenic non-epileptic seizures from epilepsy.

Related Topics:
Long-term video-EEG monitoring - Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures

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Convulsive or other seizure-like activity, non-epileptic and non-psychologic in origin, can be observed in many other medical conditions, including:

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• psychogenic non-epileptic seizures
• syncope
• narcolepsy
• cataplexy
• parasomnias
• breath-holding spells of childhood
• non-epileptic myoclonus
• opsoclonus
• hyperekplexia

Neurologists are often called upon to distinguish among the above diagnoses and epilepsy.

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