A patient tells you that she experienced an episode of involuntary "shaking" in her arm. She describes a 1- to 2-minute-long episode of muscular jerking and contracting of her entire left arm. She retained consciousness, lacked an aura, and had no pain associated with the episode. This most indicates a(n) ________ seizure.
A) psychosomatic
B) simple partial
C) petit mal
D) absence

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The description of the episode suggests that it was localized to one side of the body (left arm) and did not result in loss of consciousness or an aura. These features are consistent with a simple partial seizure, which can result in involuntary movements or sensations in one part of the body. Psychosomatic seizures are not involuntary and are thought to have a psychological rather than neurological cause. Petit mal and absence seizures involve loss of consciousness and typically do not involve motor symptoms such as involuntary shaking.

A Patient Tells You That She Experienced an Episode of Involuntary