A study on comparative yields of standard short term electroencephalogram and long term electroencephalogram recording in suspected epilepsy patients | [Pakistan Armed Forces Medical Journal • 2021]

Author(s):

1. Saima Shafait: Pak Emirates Military Hospital/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) Rawalpindi, Pakistan

2. Wasim Alamgir: Pak Emirates Military Hospital/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) Rawalpindi, Pakistan

3. Imran Ahmad: Pak Emirates Military Hospital/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) Rawalpindi, Pakistan

4. Saeed Arif: Pak Emirates Military Hospital/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) Rawalpindi, Pakistan

5. Jahanzab Liaqat: Pak Emirates Military Hospital/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) Rawalpindi, Pakistan

6. Asif Hashmat: Pak Emirates Military Hospital/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Abstract:

Objective: To compare the yield of interictal epileptiform discharges on prolonged (1-2 hours) electroencephalogram (EEG) as compared to standard routine (30 minutes) electroencephalogram (EEG). Study Design: Comparative observational study. Place and Duration of Study: Pak Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi from Oct 2019 to Sep 2020. Methodology: A total of 364 outdoor patients with suspected epilepsy were recruited for the study. Out of these 55 electroencephalograms were excluded after applying exclusion criteria and 309 were included for final analysis. Electro-encephalograms were recorded using a 10-20 international system of electrode placement. The duration of each standard electroencephalogram was 30 minutes. It was followed by recording for an extended period of 60 minutes at least. The time to the appearance of the first abnormal interictal epileptiform discharge was noted. For analytical purposes, epileptiform discharges were classified as “early” if they appeared within the first 30 minutes and as “late” if appeared afterward. All electro-encephalograms were evaluated independently by two neurologists. Results: A total of 309 electroencephalograms were included for final analysis. Interictal epileptiform discharges were seen in 48 (15.6%) recordings. The mean time to appearance of first interictal epileptiform discharge was 14.6 ± 19.09 minutes. In 36 (11.7%) cases, discharges appeared early (within the first 30 minutes) whereas in the remaining 12 (3.9%) cases, discharges appeared late. This translates into a 33% increase in the diagnostic yield of electroencephalogram with an extended period of recording. Conclusion: Extending the electroencephalogram recording time results in a significantly better diagnostic yield of outdoor electroencephalogram.

Page(s): 1727-1731

DOI: 10.51253/pafmj.v71i5.5921

Published: Journal: Pakistan Armed Forces Medical Journal, Volume: 71, Issue: 5, Year: 2021

Keywords:

Epilepsy , Electroencephalogram , Interictal epileptiform discharge

References:

References are not available for this document.

Citations

Citations are not available for this document.

Citations

Downloads

Views