Focal, generalised epilepsy or both?

Pract Neurol. 2024 Nov 5:pn-2024-004290. doi: 10.1136/pn-2024-004290. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

A 29-year-old woman presented with a witnessed convulsion, with semiology consistent with a focal-to-bilateral tonic-clonic seizure. Routine EEG supported a syndromic diagnosis of idiopathic generalised epilepsy with photosensitivity. We discuss the clinical utility of seizure semiology, highlighting the caveat that over-reliance or sole reliance on the ictal semiology may result in an erroneous diagnosis of focal epilepsy in someone with a generalised epilepsy.

Keywords: EEG; EPILEPSY.