EVOLVE ELSEVIER HESI MED SURG ACTUAL STUDY GUIDE QUESTIONS
AND CORRECT ANSWERS WITH WELL-ELABORATED RATIONALES/
EVOLVE HESI MEDICAL SURGICAL LATEST EXAM 2025-2026 (BRAND
NEW!!)
Epilepsy-ANSWER-–Common disorder in dogs and humans
––600–700 cases in dogs per year
–Refractory to therapy in 25% of canine and human patients
––75% chance of making the dog better
–Uncommon in cats
Seizure-ANSWER-–Clinical manifestation of a paroxysmal even
–Usually self–limiting
–Characterized by disturbed consciousness, uncontrolled skeletal
muscle activity, EEG activity, autonomic activity
–Sign of abnormal activity in the cerebral Cortex, diencephalon, or
both
–Clinical sign, not a disease!
1|Page
,Epilepsy-ANSWER-–Chronic condition, characterized by recurrent
seizures
–Need to have multiple seizures
–Idiopathic epilepsy
–Symptomatic epilepsy
–Probable symptomatic/cryptogenic epilepsy
–Reactive seizures
Idiopathic Epilepsy-ANSWER-–Recurrent seizures for which no
structural cause is found
–histopathologic slicing does not show any abnormalities
––may still have biochemical abnormalities
–Known or suspected genetic basis
–“True” seizures, primary epilepsy
Symptomatic Epilepsy-ANSWER-–Recurrent seizures that has a
structural cause
–Secondary epilepsy
–Most commonly idiopathic
–Brain malformations that cause epilepsy
2|Page
,Probably symptomatic/Cryptogenic/Hidden epilepsy-ANSWER-–
Recurrent seizures that are thought to be symptomatic but cannot
find a reason
–Etiology has to be determined
–Can be due to hypoxic birth, trauma during birth
–NOT a genetic cause
Reactive Seizures-ANSWER-–Seizure due to metabolic or toxic causes
Causes of Seizures-ANSWER-–No one really knows!
–Imbalance between excitation (glutamate and aspartate NT) and
inhibition (GABA)
–Synchronous firing of neurons
––decreased or increased synchrony pre–ictally
––Increased synchrony ictally
–Altered expression on receptor sub–types (GABA and glutamate),
can be genetic
–Everyone has the potential to have a seizure, depending on
conditions
Characterization of Seizures in dogs-ANSWER-–Where the seizure
starts in the brain determines how the seizure will “look”
–Self–limiting:
––focal: sensory, motor, elementary, automatisms
3|Page
, ––generalized: tonic–clonic, clonc, myoclonic, atonic
–Clustered or continuous:
––focal: motor, sensory
––generalized: reflexive
Self–limiting Sensory focal seizure-ANSWER-–One part of the brain
starts to fire synchronously
–can be specific music in head, taste in mouth
Self–limiting motor focal seizure-ANSWER-–“tic”
–Animal usually stays conscious
–can be simple, or can be automatisms
––whole body part moves
––“chewing seizure”
Generalized self–limiting seizures-ANSWER-–Can start focal and move
to involve all of the brain
–Loss of consciousness
–Can be tonic–clonic: stiff muscles and spasms
–Myoclonic: “thunderbolt” to the body
–Atonic: no movement at all
Clustered/continuous Seizures-ANSWER-–“Status Epilepticus”
4|Page
AND CORRECT ANSWERS WITH WELL-ELABORATED RATIONALES/
EVOLVE HESI MEDICAL SURGICAL LATEST EXAM 2025-2026 (BRAND
NEW!!)
Epilepsy-ANSWER-–Common disorder in dogs and humans
––600–700 cases in dogs per year
–Refractory to therapy in 25% of canine and human patients
––75% chance of making the dog better
–Uncommon in cats
Seizure-ANSWER-–Clinical manifestation of a paroxysmal even
–Usually self–limiting
–Characterized by disturbed consciousness, uncontrolled skeletal
muscle activity, EEG activity, autonomic activity
–Sign of abnormal activity in the cerebral Cortex, diencephalon, or
both
–Clinical sign, not a disease!
1|Page
,Epilepsy-ANSWER-–Chronic condition, characterized by recurrent
seizures
–Need to have multiple seizures
–Idiopathic epilepsy
–Symptomatic epilepsy
–Probable symptomatic/cryptogenic epilepsy
–Reactive seizures
Idiopathic Epilepsy-ANSWER-–Recurrent seizures for which no
structural cause is found
–histopathologic slicing does not show any abnormalities
––may still have biochemical abnormalities
–Known or suspected genetic basis
–“True” seizures, primary epilepsy
Symptomatic Epilepsy-ANSWER-–Recurrent seizures that has a
structural cause
–Secondary epilepsy
–Most commonly idiopathic
–Brain malformations that cause epilepsy
2|Page
,Probably symptomatic/Cryptogenic/Hidden epilepsy-ANSWER-–
Recurrent seizures that are thought to be symptomatic but cannot
find a reason
–Etiology has to be determined
–Can be due to hypoxic birth, trauma during birth
–NOT a genetic cause
Reactive Seizures-ANSWER-–Seizure due to metabolic or toxic causes
Causes of Seizures-ANSWER-–No one really knows!
–Imbalance between excitation (glutamate and aspartate NT) and
inhibition (GABA)
–Synchronous firing of neurons
––decreased or increased synchrony pre–ictally
––Increased synchrony ictally
–Altered expression on receptor sub–types (GABA and glutamate),
can be genetic
–Everyone has the potential to have a seizure, depending on
conditions
Characterization of Seizures in dogs-ANSWER-–Where the seizure
starts in the brain determines how the seizure will “look”
–Self–limiting:
––focal: sensory, motor, elementary, automatisms
3|Page
, ––generalized: tonic–clonic, clonc, myoclonic, atonic
–Clustered or continuous:
––focal: motor, sensory
––generalized: reflexive
Self–limiting Sensory focal seizure-ANSWER-–One part of the brain
starts to fire synchronously
–can be specific music in head, taste in mouth
Self–limiting motor focal seizure-ANSWER-–“tic”
–Animal usually stays conscious
–can be simple, or can be automatisms
––whole body part moves
––“chewing seizure”
Generalized self–limiting seizures-ANSWER-–Can start focal and move
to involve all of the brain
–Loss of consciousness
–Can be tonic–clonic: stiff muscles and spasms
–Myoclonic: “thunderbolt” to the body
–Atonic: no movement at all
Clustered/continuous Seizures-ANSWER-–“Status Epilepticus”
4|Page
