Seizures and Paroxysmal Events: Diagnosis and Management of Events That Worry Us

A child presenting with a seizure or paroxysmal event can raise anxiety for parents and providers. Seizures are the fourth most common neurologic disorder, so providers often suspect seizures when a child has a paroxysmal event. When providers rule seizures out, they often evaluate children for other disorders, such as movement disorders.

Listen to pediatric experts discuss seizures and paroxysmal events in children

In this episode, we discuss seizures and paroxysmal spells, and the diagnosis and management of events that worry us with Mered Parnes, MD, and Shavonee Massey, MD.

Dr. Massey is a pediatric neurologist in the Division of Neurology at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, specializing in the care of children with epilepsy and a Clinical Instructor in Pediatrics and Neurology.

Dr. Parnes is the Director of the Pediatric Movement Disorders Clinic and Assistant Professor of Child Neurology at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine.

This episode was recorded live from the 2019 American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Listen to pediatric neurologists discuss:

• A differential diagnosis when a child has had a paroxysmal event
• The most common presentations in bimodal distribution of seizures
• Whether a pediatrician should order an electroencephalogram (EEG) before referring to a neurologist or just refer to a neurologist first
• How often changes are readily apparent on a routine EEG when there’s a seizure disorder since they are only 30 to 60 minutes
• How to decipher between a seizure and another type of event
• Why the first presentation of involuntary movement is so important
• Differentiation of key features of seizures, such as whether the eyes are open or closed and body movements
• The importance of knowing that infantile spams are an emergency and require a different type of treatment
• Treatment options for movement disorders

Seizure treatment at Children’s Hospital Colorado

Our experts in the Epilepsy Program offer multiple treatment options including medications, dietary options and surgical interventions to help control seizures in children. We are accredited by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers as a level 4 epilepsy center. Level 4 epilepsy centers have the professional expertise and facilities to provide the highest level medical and surgical evaluation and treatment for patients with complex epilepsy.