SEIZURES FOLLOWING RESPIRATORY VIRAL INFECTION
Abstract:
Febrile seizure (FS) is a disorder that occurs in children between 6 months and 5 years of age, in association with fever but without evidence of intracranial infection. FS may be of any type, although they are usually generalized tonic-clonic or tonic, and are classified as complex if the seizure duration is longer than 15 minutes, if more than one seizure occurs in 24 hours, or if focal features are present. Electroencephalography (EEG) has not been found to be useful in the evaluation of a child with febrile seizures, but some authorities believe that the EEG is a poor predictor of either febrile or afebrile seizures recurrence. The most urgent diagnostic decision is whether to do a lumbar puncture. The computed tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are not warranted in the evaluation of FS. Because EEG is of questionable value after FS, routine EEG is not necessary.
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