Petit Mal seizures are characterized by?

• A. Brief loss of consciousness with eye or facial fluttering lasting about 20-30 seconds.
• B. Prolonged stiffening of the entire body.
• C. Localized twitching in one limb.
• D. Postictal confusion lasting hours.

Answer: (A)

Absence seizures, or Petit Mal, are brief lapses of consciousness with minimal motor activity. During these short events the person appears to stare and may have subtle movements like eye fluttering or lip-smacking, but there are no generalized convulsions. They typically last about 20–30 seconds, and the person quickly resumes activity with no memory of the episode. This description matches the option because it captures the key feature: a brief loss of awareness with eye or facial movements, without the longer convulsions or postictal confusion seen in other seizure types. Prolonged stiffening indicates a tonic or generalized convulsive seizure, localized twitching points to a focal seizure, and postictal confusion is common after complex or generalized seizures, not after an absence.