Types of clinical seizures (adapted from Volpe 1989)9
| Type | Relative frequency6 | Clinical manifestation | Associated EEG activity | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Preterm | ||||||
| Subtle | 54% | 48% | Eyelid fluttering, eye deviation, fixed open stare; chewing, sucking, tongue thrusting; cycling, boxing, pedalling limb movements; tachycardia, unstable blood pressure; apnoea | (Variable) | |||
| Clonic | 23% | 32% | Rhythmic jerking (1-4/s), consciouness usually preserved | ||||
| Focal: Limbs or one side of face or body; may suggest underlying focal lesion such as cerebral artery infarction but can be due to metabolic disturbance | + | ||||||
| Multifocal: Irregular, fragmentary, non-jacksonian migratory pattern | + | ||||||
| Myoclonic | 18% | 13% | Rapid, isolated jerks (distinguish from benign neonatal myoclonus) | ||||
| Generalised | + | ||||||
| Focal, multifocal | − | ||||||
| Tonic | 5% | 7% | Generalised: Extension of upper + lower limbs accompanied by pronation of arms and clenching fists | − | |||
| Focal: Sustained posturing of limb (rare) | + | ||||||