Patient's question:
When the girl was eight months old, she had a severe shock and suffered a convulsion. Every minute, her hands clenched into fists, her teeth were clenched tightly, she lost consciousness, but she recovered after having the center of her nose pinched! Three months later, she had another episode with the same symptoms. This happened every other day for three consecutive episodes. She was taken to the hospital for thorough tests of electrolytes, 24-hour dynamic EEG, and genetic diseases, and all the results were normal. During her hospital stay, she did not have any episodes! After returning home, she had one episode half a month later after taking suppressants. She had another episode after one and a half weeks due to abdominal bloating. A year later, while the child was napping in the car, a fight broke out nearby, and she had another episode after being startled. A re-examination of the EEG was normal, and after that, she did not take any medication. So far, she has not had any episodes for half a year. Now, I want to know what kind of tests should be done to confirm that she is completely cured, or to verify whether the child has epilepsy!Doctor's answer:
Epilepsy is generally diagnosed through clinical symptoms observed in patients and electroencephalogram (EEG) tests. If the EEG shows no abnormalities, it does not completely rule out the possibility of epilepsy. It is recommended that you have your child undergo a thorough brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination. For now, the only option is to carefully monitor the situation. Antiepileptic medications can affect both the body and brain of a child, so it is advisable to minimize their use until a definitive diagnosis is made.The above advice is for the question "A 8-month-old girl had a seizure after being startled." I hope it helps you. Wishing you good health!