2025 ILAE 2025 updated seizure classification

This journal article provides a practical guide to understanding and applying the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) updated seizure classification of 2025. It explains how the new system, which builds on the 2017 classification, enhances clarity and consistency in terminology for healthcare professionals managing epilepsy. The classification organizes seizures into four main classes—focal, generalized, unknown, and unclassified—and introduces both a basic version for general use and an expanded version with detailed semiological descriptors. A key update is the use of consciousness, defined by both awareness and responsiveness, as a critical classifier for seizures. The article includes numerous case vignettes and definitions of generalized seizure types to aid in the clinical implementation of this flexible, structured framework.