Abstract
Defining epilepsy is a dynamic and challenging process, constantly in evolution as our understanding of the brain and its underlying mechanisms expand. The International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) has led the global effort over the last several decades, and the various definitions have gone through several revisions (Fisher et al. 2014; Fisher 2015). Most recently, the ILAE accepted a new practical clinical definition of epilepsy stated as:
A disease of the brain defined by any of the following conditions
- 1.
At least two unprovoked (or reflex) seizures occurring > 24 h apart
- 2.
One unprovoked (or reflex) seizure and a probability of further seizures similar to the general recurrence risk (at least 60%) after two unprovoked seizures, occurring over the next 10 years
- 3.
Diagnosis of an epilepsy syndrome
Epilepsy is considered to be resolved for individuals who had an age-dependent epilepsy syndrome but are now past the applicable age or those who have remained seizure-free for the last 10 years, with no seizure medicines for the last 5 years. (Fisher et al. 2014)
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Minassian, B., Lewis, E., Whitney, R. (2018). What Is Epilepsy?. In: Di Rocco, C., Pang, D., Rutka, J. (eds) Textbook of Pediatric Neurosurgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31512-6_96-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31512-6_96-1
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