Abstract
It is estimated that more than 1/4 patients referred to an epilepsy center do NOT have epilepsy. As a corollary, it is important to understand that not all episodes of shaking or loss of awareness/consciousness are seizures. Due to their wide variation in presentation, seizures can be easily misdiagnosed. Other non-epileptic etiologies should always be considered to avoid the ramifications of seizure misdiagnosis and the potential complications of unnecessary treatment with antiepileptic drugs. Diagnosis can be challenging and video EEG monitoring is often necessary for characterization of the event.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Saklani P, Krahn A, Klein G. Syncope. Circulation. 2013;127(12):1330–9.
Cianchetti C, Pruna D, Ledda M. Epileptic seizures and headache/migraine: a review of types of association and terminology. Seizure. 2013;22(9):679–85.
Toldo I, Perissinotto E, Menegazzo F, et al. Comorbidity between headache and epilepsy in a pediatric headache center. J Headache Pain. 2010;11(3):235–40.
Ottman R, Lipton RB. Comorbidity of migraine and epilepsy. Neurology. 1994;44(11):2105–10.
Haut SR, Bigal ME, Lipton RB. Chronic disorders with episodic manifestations: focus on epilepsy and migraine. Lancet Neurol. 2006;5(2):148–57.
Ludvigsson P, Hesdorffer D, Olafsson E, et al. Migraine with aura is a risk factor for unprovoked seizures in children. Ann Neurol. 2006;59(1):210–3.
Ali S, Khan MA, Khealani B. Limb-shaking transient ischemic attacks: case report and review of literature. BMC Neurol. 2006;6:5.
Berkovic SF. Paroxysmal movement disorders and epilepsy. Neurology. 2000;55(2):169.
Devinsky O, Kelley K, Porter RJ, et al. Clinical and electroencephalographic features of simple partial seizures. Neurology. 1988;38(9):1347–52.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Sazgar, M., Young, M.G. (2019). What Is Not a Seizure?. In: Absolute Epilepsy and EEG Rotation Review. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03511-2_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03511-2_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-03510-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-03511-2
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)