The new definition and classification of seizures and epilepsy

• Published in: Epilepsy research Vol. 139; pp. 73 - 79
• Main Authors: Falco-Walter, Jessica J., Scheffer, Ingrid E., Fisher, Robert S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01-01-2018
• Subjects: Classification; Epilepsy; Epilepsy - classification; Focal; Generalized; Humans; Partial; Seizures; Seizures - classification; Taxonomy; Partial; Taxonomy; Epilepsy; Classification; Focal; Generalized; Seizures
• ISSN: 0920-1211; 1872-6844
• DOI: 10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2017.11.015

•The newly updated classifications of seizures and epilepsy are reviewed.•Important additions, changes, and reasons for why these changes have been made are discussed.•How these classification updates may impact patients, clinicians and researchers is explored.
This review discusses the updated classifications of seizures and the epilepsies, which were recently published by the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE). While it is always a challenge to learn a new classification system, particularly one that has remained essentially unchanged for over three decades, these new classifications allow for the inclusion of some previously unclassifiable seizure types and utilize more intuitive terminology. In this review, we specifically discuss the use of these new classifications for patients, clinicians, and researchers.