Early Posttraumatic Seizures in the Pediatric Population

Early posttraumatic seizure is a paramount clinical issue in pediatric traumatic brain injury patients as it is a common occurrence, yet an understudied entity at present. Recent literature recognizes several posttraumatic seizure subtypes based on time of presentation and the underlying pathophysiology: impact, immediate, delayed early, and late/posttraumatic epilepsy. Appropriate classification of pediatric posttraumatic seizure subtypes can be helpful for appropriate management and prognosis. This review will focus on early posttraumatic seizures, and the subtypes of early posttraumatic seizure. Incidence, risk factors, diagnosis, seizure semiology, status epilepticus, management, risk of recurrence, and prognosis were reviewed. The integration of continuous electroencephalographic (EEG) monitoring into pediatric traumatic brain injury management may hold the key to better characterizing and understanding pediatric early posttraumatic seizures. Topics for future research pertaining to pediatric early posttraumatic seizure are identified.