Partial (focal) seizure

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Central nervous system

Partial (focal) seizure

Alternative Names:

Simple seizure; Complex seizure; Jacksonian seizure; Seizure - partial (focal)

Symptoms:

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Patients with focal seizures can have any of the symptoms below. Patients with simple focal seizures do not lose consciousness and will be aware and remember the events that occur at the time. Patients with complex partial seizures will have abnormal consciousness and may or may not remember any or all of the symptoms or events surrounding the seizure.

abnormal motor control
- rhythmic muscle contraction/relaxation (clonic activity) -- common
- affecting one side of the body (leg, part of the face, or other isolated area)
- abnormal head movements
- forced turning of the head
automatisms -- purposeless, complex movement (such as picking at clothes)
- abnormal mouth behaviors
- lip smacking
- chewing/swallowing without cause
- automatisms usually indicate the seizure is complex
forced turning of the eyes
abnormal sensations
- numbness, tingling, crawling sensation, etc.
- may occur in only one part of the body or may spread
- may occur with or without motor symptoms
hallucinations (visual, hearing, touch, smells, etc.)
abdominal pain or discomfort
nausea
sweating
flushed face
dilated pupils
rapid heart rate/pulse

Other symptoms:

black out spells -- periods of time lost from memory
changes in vision
sensation of deja vu
changes in mood or emotion

Signs and tests:

The diagnosis is based on the symptoms, taking into consideration the patient's other history. It is extremely difficult to diagnose a single focal seizure. However, the diagnosis is easier to make in patients who have recurrent, stereotyped episodes --especially if there are risk factors such as a history of head injury.

Some of the tests that may be performed include:

EEG -- this can show characteristic changes confirming partial (focal) seizures, and may show the focus (the location of the cause). A normal EEG does not rule out seizures.
EEG monitoring over several days may be necessary in order to record an event while it is occurring.
Head CT or head MRI scan -- these may show the location and extent of the lesion causing the symptom.