title: Interoperator variability in quantitative electroencephalography.
abstract: The purpose of the study was to determine whether quantitative or discriminant analysis of the electroencephalograph (EEG) would vary significantly when the same EEG was analysed by 3 different operators. EEGs on 10 healthy volunteers were recorded on the Cadwell Spectrum AT 386, using the Electrocap (10-20 system). The EEGs were analysed independently, with each operator selecting the first 48 artifact-free epochs. The results were analysed using the non-parametric Friedman two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for the discrimination analysis and a one-way ANOVA for the monopolar and bipolar Absolute Power raw measures. Statistical analysis of the discriminant data showed no significant differences between operators, with 7 of 10 studies yielding the same results. The remaining 3 studies were classified either as borderline or normal when analysed by different operators. Although a series of "t" tests comparing 2 operators showed most variability occurring in Absolute Power as compared with Relative Power, Power Asymmetry and Coherence, ANOVA of the raw mono- and bipolar Absolute Power measures showed no significant differences between the operators at the P = 0.05 level. Thus the differences between the operators were non-significant when comparing quantitative EEG analyses with respect to both the raw measures and the discriminant analyses.
authors.affiliation: Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woodville.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hamilton-Bruce
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Boundy
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Purdie
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015588:Observer Variation