What it looks like
Bilaterally synchronous, frontally maximal spike-and-wave complexes at about 3 Hz, starting and stopping abruptly on a normal background, often slowing slightly towards the end. The signature of typical absence seizures. 23
What it means at the bedside
In childhood absence epilepsy, hyperventilation for three minutes brings on a seizure in most untreated children. Ethosuximide is the first-line treatment when absences are the only seizure type. 18,23