Home > Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders > Infantile Spasms

Definition

Infantile spasms (IS) are seizures seen in epilepsy of infancy and early childhood. The typical pattern of an infantile spasm occurs soon after arousal from sleep, and involves a sudden bending forward and stiffening of the body, arms, and legs. Additionally, arching of the torso can also be seen during an infantile spasm. Infantile spasms typically last for one to five seconds and occur in clusters, ranging from two to 100 spasms at a time.

Description

Infantile spasms were first described by the English physician W.J. West (1794–1848) in 1841. West's paper, published in the first volume of the medical journal Lancet, was a landmark in the development of pediatric neurology, and the seizure syndrome also became known as West...