Focal Seizures

Focal seizures are characterized by the fact that there is a signal in the form of an aura (perceptions prior to an epileptic seizure) for the onset of the seizure in a circumscribed region of the brain. It does not matter whether there is a secondary spread to the rest of the cerebral cortex (secondary generalization). The aura has a high informative value about in which brain region the seizure has its origin, because it is the result of a circumscribed activation of nerve cell clusters. If the patient is awake during the seizure and reacts appropriately to his surroundings. That's how the seizure is simply called partial. If the consciousness is restricted and memory gaps or states of confusion occur during or after the seizure, the seizure is called complex partial. If no distinction can be made between simple and complex partial, it is called partial seizure of unknown type. A focal seizure can degenerate into a generalized seizure after a heart-shaped onset. We call this complex partial seizure with secondary generalization.