Evaluation of a first seizure

PREVIEW

As a primary care physician, you may encounter patients seeking medical attention for a presumed seizure sometime after the event. How do you approach differential diagnosis and testing to ensure accurate recognition? For patients who have had a first seizure, how do you determine whether treatment is necessary or even desirable? In this article, Drs Prego-Lopez and Devinsky outline a diagnostic approach for differentiating seizure from other conditions that can mimic it and offer strategies for deciding whether and when to prescribe antiepileptic drug therapy.