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Epilepsy Medicine Glossary

100 terms total — 24 showing — Last updated 15 Sep 2026

Functional hemispherectomy

Advanced Technical IVT

A surgical procedure that disconnects one brain hemisphere while leaving most tissue in place. Used for severe hemispheric epilepsy.

Showing 1–24 of 100

Absence seizure

Intermediate Technical IVT

Brief seizure causing sudden loss of awareness without convulsive movements.

Technical Term Full entry →

AED

Intermediate Technical IVT

Anti-epileptic drug used to prevent or control seizures.

Abbreviation Full entry →

Anticonvulsant

Intermediate Technical IVT

Medication used to prevent or reduce the frequency of seizures; synonymous with antiseizure medication.

Technical Term Full entry →

Antiepileptogenesis

Professional Technical IVT

Therapeutic intervention aimed at preventing the development of epilepsy following a brain injury or in at-risk individu...

Technical Term Full entry →

Antiepileptogenic

Professional Technical IVT

Referring to treatments or interventions that prevent the development of epilepsy after brain injury.

Technical Term Full entry →

Antiepileptogenic therapy

Advanced Technical IVT

Treatment aimed at preventing the development of epilepsy after brain injury or stopping epilepsy progression. Experimen...

Technical Term Full entry →

ASM

Professional Technical IVT

Anti-seizure medication, newer terminology for epilepsy drugs.

Abbreviation Full entry →

Atonic seizure

Intermediate Technical IVT

A seizure type characterized by sudden loss of muscle tone, often resulting in falls or drop attacks.

Clinical Term Full entry →

Aura

Intermediate Technical IVT

Subjective sensory or psychic phenomenon preceding or beginning a seizure.

Technical Term Full entry →

Automatism

Intermediate Technical IVT

Unconscious, repetitive motor activity during seizures.

Technical Term Full entry →

Benign rolandic epilepsy

Intermediate Technical IVT

A childhood epilepsy syndrome characterized by focal seizures arising from the central-temporal region, typically resolv...

Technical Term Full entry →

Bitemporal epilepsy

Advanced Technical IVT

Epilepsy syndrome with seizure foci in both temporal lobes, making surgical treatment more challenging.

Technical Term Full entry →

Breakthrough seizure

Intermediate Technical IVT

A seizure that occurs despite therapeutic antiseizure medication levels and compliance.

Technical Term Full entry →

Breakthrough seizures

Intermediate Technical IVT

Seizures that occur despite therapeutic antiseizure medication levels, or seizures that return after a period of good co...

Clinical Term Full entry →

Catamenial epilepsy

Advanced Technical IVT

Epilepsy with seizures that cluster around menstrual cycle phases due to hormonal fluctuations. Important consideration...

Technical Term Full entry →

Concordance

Professional Technical IVT

Agreement between different diagnostic modalities in identifying the same seizure focus or epileptogenic zone.

Technical Term Full entry →

Convulsive status epilepticus

Intermediate Technical IVT

A medical emergency involving continuous convulsive seizure activity lasting 30 minutes or longer, or recurrent seizures...

Technical Term Full entry →

Corpus callosotomy

Advanced Technical IVT

A palliative surgical procedure involving sectioning of the corpus callosum to prevent seizure spread between brain hemi...

Technical Term Full entry →

Deep brain stimulation

Advanced Technical IVT

A neurosurgical procedure involving implanted electrodes that deliver electrical stimulation to specific brain regions f...

Treatment Modality Full entry →

Dravet syndrome

Advanced Technical IVT

A severe genetic epilepsy syndrome beginning in infancy, characterized by prolonged febrile seizures and developmental r...

Electroclinical syndrome

Intermediate Technical IVT

A distinct epilepsy disorder characterized by specific clinical features combined with characteristic EEG patterns.

Technical Term Full entry →

Electrocorticography

Advanced Technical IVT

Direct recording of electrical activity from the brain surface using electrodes placed on the cortex. Used for precise s...

Technical Term Full entry →

Electroencephalography

Intermediate Technical IVT

A diagnostic test that records electrical activity in the brain using electrodes placed on the scalp.

Diagnostic Test Full entry →

EMU

Intermediate Technical IVT

Epilepsy Monitoring Unit where patients undergo continuous video-EEG surveillance.

Document Type Full entry →
Showing 1–24 of 100

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