Professional
Technical
In the Industry Vocabulary Test
Interictal
Occurring between seizures, during seizure-free periods.
Full Definition
The interictal period encompasses all time between seizure episodes when the patient is not experiencing seizure activity. For editors, this term is essential when reviewing epilepsy literature as interictal findings, symptoms, or EEG patterns provide different diagnostic and prognostic information than ictal events. Proper usage distinguishes routine observations from seizure-related phenomena.
Usage
Usage note: Often confused with ictal. Verify context to ensure correct usage in clinical documentation.
In Context
- "Interictal spikes were observed on the overnight EEG monitoring." — Diagnostic report
- "The patient's interictal cognitive function remained normal." — Neuropsychological assessment
Also known as
inter-seizure
Contrasted with
ictal
postictal
preictal
Don't confuse with
ictal