Minor Epilepsy Definition
Minor Epilepsy: A childhood seizure disorder characterized by rhythmic electrical brain discharges of geneneralized onset. Clinical features include a sudden cessation of ongoing activity usually without loss of postural tone. Rhythmic blinking of the eyelids or lip smacking frequently accompanies the seizure. The usual duration is 5-10 seconds, and multiple episodes may occur daily. Juvenile absence epilepsy is characterized by the juvenile onset of absence seizures and an increased incidence of myoclonus and tonic-clonic seizures. (Menkes, Textbook of Child Neurology, 5th ed, p736)
Synonym: juvenile absence epilepsy, childhood absence epilepsy, atonic absence seizure, akinetic petit mal, absence seizures, absence seizure disorder, absence seizure, absence epilepsy, petit mal epilepsy, petit mal convulsion, absence, atypical epilepsy, pyknolepsy, pykno-epilepsy.
Additional tags: minor epilepsy episode