petit mal seizure

seizure

[se´zhur] 1. the sudden attack or recurrence of a disease.2. a convulsion or attack of epilepsy.absence seizure the seizure seen in epilepsy" >petit mal epilepsy, marked by a momentary break in the stream of thought and activity, accompanied by a symmetrical spike and wave at 3 cycles per second on the electroencephalogram. Called also petit malseizure. See epilepsy" >epilepsy.atonic seizure an absence seizure characterized by sudden loss of muscle tone.complex partial seizure see partial seizure.febrile seizure convulsion" >febrile convulsion.focal seizure partial seizure.focal motor seizure a simple partial seizure consisting of clonus or spasm of a muscle or muscle group, occurring either singly or in a continuous repetitive series.generalized tonic-clonic seizure (grand mal seizure) the seizure seen in grand mal epilepsy, marked by loss of consciousness and generalized tonic convulsions followed by clonic convulsions. See epilepsy" >epilepsy.jackknife s's infantile spasms.myoclonic seizure one characterized by a brief episode of myoclonus.partial seizure any seizure due to a lesion in a specific, known area of the cerebral cortex; symptoms vary with different lesion locations. A simple partial seizure is the most localized type, with a discharge that is predominantly one-sided or presents localized features without loss of consciousness. A complex partial seizure is associated with disease of the temporal lobe and characterized by varying degrees of impairment of consciousness. See epilepsy" >epilepsy.petit mal seizure absence seizure.reflex seizure (sensory seizure) an epileptic seizure in response to a sensory stimulus, which may be tactile, visual, auditory, or musical.simple partial seizure see partial seizure. tonic-clonic seizure see seizure" >generalized tonic-clonic seizure.

pe·tit mal sei·zure

obsolescent term for a cerebral seizure not manifested by tonic-clonic movements (that is, grand mal); formerly thought to be the clinical manifestation solely of a 3-second spike in wave pattern, as seen on electroencephalography, but now known to be associated with several different EEG patterns.