Absence seizures are commonly encountered in clinical practice. The diagnosis is usually straightforward in majority of cases. However, it may be challenging in patients with some atypical clinical or EEG features or less common epilepsy syndromes. This narrative review describes the clinical and EEG features, treatment and prognosis of the usual and the unusual epilepsy syndromes associated with absence seizures. Absence status epilepticus is also discussed briefly.
Keywords: Absence seizures; Epilepsy; Status epilepticus; VNS.