CHILDHOOD ABSENCE EPILEPSY (CAE)

Overview
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Seizure Classification
Generalized onset seizure
- Motor Onset
- Non-Motor Onset
Focal Onset Seizure
- By Onset Feature
- Focal to Bilateral Tonic-Clonic
- Hemispheric lateralization
- Lobar localization
  - Frontal
  - Temporal
  - Parietal
  - Occipital
Unknown Onset Seizure
Neonatal Seizure
Epilepsy Classification
Generalized Epilepsy
Focal Epilepsy
Generalized and Focal Epilepsy
Unknown Epilepsy
Epilepsy Syndromes
Neonate/Infant
- Self-limited
- With developmental and epileptic encephalopathy
Childhood
- Self-limited focal epilepsy syndromes
  - Remission expected in all cases by adolescence
    - Self-limited epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes
    - Self-limited epilepsy with autonomic seizures
  - Remission expected in most cases by adolescence
    - Childhood occipital visual epilepsy
    - Photosensitive occipital lobe epilepsy
- Genetic generalised epilepsy syndromes
  - Epilepsy with eyelid myoclonia
  - Epilepsy with myoclonic absence
- Idiopathic generalised epilepsy syndrome
  - Childhood absence epilepsy
- With developmental and/or epileptic encephalopathy
Variable Age
- Idiopathic generalised epilepsy syndromes
- Focal epilepsy syndromes
- Combined generalised and focal epilepsy syndrome
  - Epilepsy with reading-induced seizures
- With developmental and/or epileptic encephalopathy or progressive neurological deterioration
  - Progressive myoclonus epilepsies
  - Rasmussen syndrome
Epilepsy Etiologies
Genetic Etiologies
- Chromosomal abnormalities
- Gene abnormalities
Structural Etiologies
- Malformations of cortical development
- Vascular malformations
- Hippocampal sclerosis
- Hypoxic-Ischemic
- Traumatic brain injury
- Tumors
- Porencephalic Cyst
Metabolic Etiologies
Immune Etiologies
Infectious Etiologies
Unknown Etiologies
Encephalopathy
Epilepsy imitators

CHILDHOOD ABSENCE EPILEPSY (CAE)

Mandatory seizures

Absence seizures - these are typically frequent (multiple daily), brief (3-20 seconds) and awareness is severely impaired.

CAUTION Seizure duration >45 seconds, frequency less than daily or a post-ictal phase are not seen right arrow consider focal impaired awareness seizures, other epilepsy syndromes or non-epileptic staring.

CAUTION If awareness is not severely impaired right arrow childhood absence epilepsy is unlikely, other syndromes with absences should be considered.

May have

Generalized tonic-clonic seizures - these rarely precede or occur during the active absence seizure period, they can be seen in adolescence in patients who evolve to have other idiopathic generalised epilepsy syndromes.

Exclusionary

Prominent myoclonic seizures

All other seizure types