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Flashcards in Epilectic seizures Deck (24)
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1
Q

What is a definition of seizures?

A
  • Hypersynchronous - Neurons firing at the same time
  • Transient + involuntary change in behaviour/neuro status due to abnormal behaviour + overpopulation of neurons
  • Imbalance between excitation and inhibition
2
Q

How are seizures classified?

A

Classified by clinical signs

3
Q

What are the 2 groups of seizure classification?

A

Focal and generalised seizures

4
Q

What are the different types of Focal seizures?

A
  1. Simple focal - no loss of consciousness
  2. Complex focal - loss of consciousness
  3. Focal seizure with secondary generalisation

Focal occurs on one side of the brain

Brain usually good at stopping seizures after 1-2mins - struggles after 10mins

5
Q

What are the different types of Generalised seizures?

A

Generalised seizures occur all over the two sides of the brain

  1. Convulsive
  2. Nonconvulsive
6
Q

What is a Status Epilepticus?

A
  • Prolonged seizure activity
  • > 5mins (clinical)
  • > 30mins causes brain damage - too diff to tx - can be life threatening
7
Q

What is a Cluster seizure?

A
  • > 2 seizures in a 24 hours period

- Serious

8
Q

What are the 4 different stages of a seizure?

A
  1. Prodrome - behaviour changes occurring hours/days before seizure
  2. Aura - sensory/focal onset seizures - sensory experience - déjà vu - hallucinations - (hard to prove)
  3. Ictus - the seizure itself
  4. Post-ictal - neurological status alterations hours/days after the seizure
9
Q

What self-limiting focal and generalised seizures are there?

A
  1. Focal: Sensory, Motor, Automatisms (repeated behaviour eg. orofacial automatisms - chewing gum fits)
  2. Generalised: Tonic-clonic, clonic, myoclonic, atonic
    Clonic - rhythmic muscle contractions
10
Q

What types of cluster/continuous seizures are there?

A

Focal: motor (epilepsia partalialis continua), sensory: aura continua - diff to characterise in dogs

11
Q

What are a type of reflexive seizure?

A

Precipitating seizure (epilepsy)

12
Q

If an animal is twitching on one side, is the lesion on the same side?

A

No lesion in forebrain on the opposite side

13
Q

What are some common behaviours in seizuring animals?

A
  • Lip smacking
  • hypersalivating
  • howling
  • fly catching (Limbic system)
  • chronic movement in legs (motor cortex)

Horse- going backwards - v dangerous

14
Q

What different events can mimic seizures?

A
  • Syncope - partial/complete loss of consciousness, lack of motor activity, no post-ictal signs, shorter in duration
  • Narcolepsy - stimulated by excitement, food, pharmacologically (rare sleeping disease)
  • Pain
  • Vestibular syndrome (unilateral - ataxia, nystagmus)
  • movement disorder
15
Q

How can you tell a mimic event to a normal seizure by treatment?

A

Recurrent seizures usually respond well to antiepiletic drugs

16
Q

How can seizures be classified by aetiology?

A
  • Symptomatic or secondary seizure (structural brain lesion)
  • Reactive seizure (metabolic or toxic seizure)
  • Idiopathic or primary epilepsy (genetic)
  • Possible symptomatic/cryptogenic seizure (head trauma years previously) (only rule out at PME)
17
Q

Which two types of seizures would be classified as intra-cranial?

A

Functional (idiopathic epilepsy) and Structural (symptomatic epilepsy)

18
Q

Which two types of seizures would be classified as extra-cranial?

A

Intrinsic - metabolic -reactive seizures

Extrinsic - toxic - reactive seizures

19
Q

What are the three types of issues leading to extracranial seizures?

A
  1. Electrolyte imbalance - hypernatraemia, hyponatraemia, hypocalcaemia
  2. Energy deprivation - Thiamine deficiency, hypoglycaemia
  3. Organ dysfunction - Uraemic encephalopathy, hepatic encephalopathy
20
Q

What are some examples of intracranial symptomatic epilepsy?

A
  • Anomalous- hydrocephalus, lissencephaly, archanoid cyst
  • Neoplasia- meningioma
  • Infectious- viral, fungal, bacterial, parasitic, protozoal
  • Inflamm
  • Traumatic
  • Vascular- haemorrhagic (secondary to hypertension and coagulopathy, ischaemic)
21
Q

What is the average age range for dogs to get seizures?

A

<6 months to 6 years

22
Q

What are likely reasons for seizures at

a) 6 years

A

a) Metabolic (portosystemic shunt, hypoglycaemia), infectious diseases
Congenital

b) Idiopathic epilepsy, inflammatory/infectious, metabolic
c) Neoplasia, idiopathic epilepsy (late onset), inflammatory/infectious

23
Q

What diagnostics would you use for extra-cranial problems?

A
  • Complete blood count + cytology
  • Biochemistry
  • Resting bile acids
  • Urinalysis
  • Blood pressure (in cats)
24
Q

What diagnostics would you use for intra-cranial problems?

A
  • Imaging - MRI and CT

- Cerebrospinal fluid analysis (WBC)