Читать книгу Canine and Feline Epilepsy - Luisa De Risio - Страница 72

Reflex seizures are seizures that can be consistently provoked by specific sensations or perceptions (Commission, 1989). The trigger is specific and the latency between trigger and seizure is short (seconds to minutes). Reflex seizure triggers in people include flickering light (usually from a television) or other visual stimuli, immersion in hot water, reading, certain sounds and eating. These stimuli are usually limited in an individual patient to a single specific stimulus or a limited number of closely related stimuli. Reflex seizures are usually generalized (although focal seizures have also been reported in association with tactile or proprioceptive stimuli) and associated with idiopathic epilepsy in humans (Commission, 1989). Seizures consistently associated with sounds (lawnmower engine), automobile rides or veterinary offices have been observed in dogs (Thomas, 2010).

Regardless of the underlying aetiology, seizures can occur as:

• Self-limiting isolated seizures: a seizure that occurs only once in a 24-h period;

• Cluster seizures: two or more seizures within 24 h with full recovery of consciousness between seizures;

• Status epilepticus: continuous seizure activity for 5 or more minutes or two or more discrete seizures within 24 h without full recovery of consciousness between seizures.

Status epilepticus and cluster seizures are neurological emergencies described in detail in Chapters 23 and 24.

Classification of seizures and epilepsies is an ongoing process in humans and veterinary neurologists should follow its development closely. Establishing a universally accepted and standardized terminology to describe ictal phenomenology would greatly help communication among veterinary clinicians and scientists and represent the foundation of further development of the veterinary classification. The veterinary classification of seizures and epilepsies will evolve as EEG and functional MRI become more widely used, new underlying aetiologies are detected, and breed-related epileptic syndromes with specific genetic mutations are identified.