grand 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 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.

atonic seizure an absence seizure characterized by sudden loss of muscle tone.

complex partial seizure see partial seizure.

febrile seizure 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.

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.

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 generalized tonic-clonic seizure.

gen·er·al·ized ton·ic-clo·nic sei·zure

a generalized seizure characterized by the sudden onset of tonic contraction of the muscles often associated with a cry or moan, and frequently resulting in a fall to the ground. The tonic phase of the seizure gradually give way to clonic convulsive movements occurring bilaterally and synchronously before slowing and eventually stopping, followed by a variable period of unconsciousness and gradual recovery.

Synonym(s): cryptogenic epilepsy, generalized tonic-clonic epilepsy, grand mal seizure, grand mal, idiopathic epilepsy (2) , major epilepsy

grand mal seizure

(grăn′ mäl′, măl′, grănd′)

n.

See tonic-clonic seizure.

grand mal seizure

Generalized tonic-clonic seizure Neurology A seizure disorder arising between infancy and early adulthood, with attacks triggered by fever or unidentified environmental cues–eg, psychologic and emotional stress Clinical Prolonged tonic-clonic seizures with the risk of intraictal cerebral hypoxia; sequelae include intellectual impairment, behavioral changes, or rarely ataxia and spasticity. See Epilepsy, Psychomotor epilepsy. Cf Petit mal epilepsy.

gen·er·al·ized ton·ic-clo·nic sei·zure

, generalized tonic-clonic epilepsy (jen'ĕr-ăl-īzd ton'ik-klon'ik sē'zhŭr, ep'i-lep'sē)

Seizure characterized by sudden onset of tonic contraction of muscles often associated with a cry or moan, and frequently resulting in a fall.