FrontalCortex, Inc. is a non-profit corporation dedicated to neurology education.

Pediatric Epilepsy Syndromes 06

Topic: Pediatric

Created on Thursday, October 4 2007 by jdmiles

Last modified on Thursday, October 4 2007.

A 7 year old boy presents to your office.  The parents state that the child has been having frequent staring spells. Past medical history is otherwise unremarkable. There is no family history of seizures. Exam is normal. You obtain an EEG, which shows the following finding:


Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Which seizure types are most frequently seen in this child's epilepsy syndrome?


 
        A) Absence and myoclonic
 
        B) Infantile spasms, absence, and generalized tonic-clonic
 
        C) Generalized tonic-clonic, gelastic, and absence
 
        D) Focal motor, gelastic, and generalized tonic-clonic
 
        E) Absence and generalized tonic-clonic
 

 


Back to the question = Go back to the top of the page.
See another question like this one = Reload a different version of this question ().
Click here for a random question = Load a random question from the database.
Clone this question = Use this question as a template to create a totally NEW question.
Rate this question = Enter detailed rating for this question!
Average user rating for this question = 4.5 = How users like you have rated this question.
This question was created on October 04, 2007 by jdmiles.
This question was last modified on October 04, 2007.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS




A) absence and myoclonic

This answer is incorrect.


This child has childhood absence epilepsy.  Absence seizures are, by definition, seen in this syndrome. Generalized tonic-clonic seizures occur in about 50% of patients.  A minority of patients have myoclonic seizures.  (See References)

Back to the questionSee another question like this oneClick here for a random questionClone this question Rate this questionAverage user rating for this question = 4.5
Please log in if you want to rate questions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 




B) infantile spasms, absence, and generalized tonic-clonic

This answer is incorrect.


This child has childhood absence epilepsy.  Absence seizures are, by definition, seen in this syndrome. Generalized tonic-clonic seizures occur in about 50% of patients.  A minority of patients have myoclonic seizures.  Infantile spasms are not associated wtih this syndrome.  (See References)

Back to the questionSee another question like this oneClick here for a random questionClone this question Rate this questionAverage user rating for this question = 4.5
Please log in if you want to rate questions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 




C) generalized tonic-clonic, gelastic, and absence

This answer is incorrect.


This child has childhood absence epilepsy.  Absence seizures are, by definition, seen in this syndrome. Generalized tonic-clonic seizures occur in about 50% of patients.  A minority of patients have myoclonic seizures. Gelastic seizures are not associated with this syndrome.  (See References)

Back to the questionSee another question like this oneClick here for a random questionClone this question Rate this questionAverage user rating for this question = 4.5
Please log in if you want to rate questions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 




D) focal motor, gelastic, and generalized tonic-clonic

This answer is incorrect.


This child has childhood absence epilepsy.  Absence seizures are, by definition, seen in this syndrome. Generalized tonic-clonic seizures occur in about 50% of patients.  A minority of patients have myoclonic seizures.  Gelastic seizures are not associated with this syndrome. Childhood absence epilepsy is a generalized epilepsy syndrome, so focal motor seizures would not typically be seen.  (See References)

Back to the questionSee another question like this oneClick here for a random questionClone this question Rate this questionAverage user rating for this question = 4.5
Please log in if you want to rate questions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 




E) absence and generalized tonic-clonic

This answer is correct.


This child has childhood absence epilepsy. While absence seizures are the sine qua non of this syndrome, generalized tonic-clonic seizures occur in about 50% of patients.  A minority of these patients will also have myoclonic seizures.  (See References)

Back to the questionSee another question like this oneClick here for a random questionClone this question Rate this questionAverage user rating for this question = 4.5
Please log in if you want to rate questions.

 

 

 

 

References:

1. Levin, K.H., and Luders, H.O. (Eds.) (2000). Comprehensive Clinical Neurophysiology. W.B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia.
2. Trescher, W.H., and Lesser, R.P. (2004). The epilepsies. In Bradley, W.G., Daroff, R.B., Fenichel, G.M., and Jankovic, J. (Eds.). Neurology in Clinical Practice, Fourth Edition. Butterworth Heinemann, Philadelphia, pp. 1953-1992.
Back to the questionSee another question like this oneClick here for a random questionClone this question Rate this questionAverage user rating for this question = 4.5
Please log in if you want to rate questions.

 

FrontalCortex.com -- Neurology Review Questions -- Neurology Boards -- Board Review -- Residency Inservice Training Exam -- RITE Exam Review
pediatric
Pediatric Epilepsy Syndromes 06
Question ID: 100407067
Question written by J. Douglas Miles, (C) 2006-2009, all rights reserved.
Created: 10/04/2007
Modified: 10/04/2007
Estimated Permutations: 8400

User Comments About This Question:

0 user entries
Please log in if you'd like to add a comment.