EVALUATION OF FIRST SEIZURE IN CHILDHOOD: NEUROIMAGING OVERTURES

Seizure is a common presentation in an emergency care setting, and new-onset epilepsy is the most common cause of unprovoked seizures. The neuroradiologic evaluation of patients after a first seizure must be tackled starting from the clinical history, neurologi- cal examination and blood tests, followed by an electroencephalographic study. The ini- tial assessment after a single event should determine whether an actual seizure has oc- curred or if the episode could be attributed to another transitional event; it is necessary to exclude the possibility of the crisis being a manifestation of a possible organic cause, therefore determining whether it was caused by brain injury or a first episode of epi- lepsy. The role of neuroimaging in a child with new-onset afebrile seizures is controver- sial. In this article we evaluate the need for neuroradiologic investigation after a first seizure.