Introduction

This chapter focuses on the clinical aspects of status epilepticus (SE) during childhood. The etiology, presentation, and prognosis of SE during childhood are characterized by distinctive features that reflect different stages in brain development. For example, the sensitivity of preschool-aged children to fever-induced convulsions is not seen in neonates or in children older than 5 or 6 years. Specific types of SE such as absence SE and the syndrome of continuous spike-waves during slow-wave sleep, as well as neonatal seizures, are discussed in detail in other chapters.