Question
Hello, doctor, could you please tell me what tests are needed to confirm epilepsy? Thank you.
Answer
Epilepsy is a disease and syndrome characterized by intermittent central nervous system dysfunction due to recurrent and sudden excessive discharge of neurons in the brain. Its features include recurrence and relapse, meaning that after the first attack, there will inevitably be a second, third, and even more attacks after a period of time. In addition, the symptoms of epilepsy appear and stop suddenly, which may be accompanied by symptoms such as convulsions, loss of consciousness, urinary incontinence, tongue bite, vomiting white or blood foam, and dilated pupils. The incidence of pediatric epilepsy is relatively high and has a serious impact on health. Due to the physiological characteristics of newborns and changes in the central nervous system and body fluids, the clinical characteristics of pediatric epilepsy are different from those of adults. For example, the age of onset and type of recurrence are closely related, and the clinical manifestations are closely related to the maturity of the central nervous system. The diagnosis of epilepsy relies on medical history, physical examination, and Brain Electroencephalogram (EEG) tests. EEG tests can show clear pathological waves such as spikes, sharp waves, spike-slow waves, or sharp-slow waves. If it is secondary epilepsy, further examinations such as cranial CT, MRI, MRA, DSA should be conducted to find the corresponding lesions. In addition, epilepsy is related to various chemicals in the human body…