Posttraumatic seizures: an assessment of the epidemiologic literature.

Abstract

Confusion about the risk of seizures following head trauma might in part reflect methodologic limitations of reported studies. This epidemiologic review emphasizes four methodologic issues: selection of cases, selection of controls, definition and ascertain of seizures, and definition, of seizures, and definition, classification, and ascertainment of trauma. Although the focus of this review is a set of reports of civilian injuries, the relevance of war studies to civilian injuries is also discussed.