Long term cassette EEG monitoring of childhood seizures.
We studied the clinical efficacy of 4-channel cassette recording of the EEG for 105 children being evaluated for possible seizures or further clarification of a known seizure disorder. Compared to the conventional EEG, 24 hour cassette EEG (C-EEG) studies yielded new diagnostic electroclinical information for 21 percent of the children (22 patients). For 41 percent of cases, the C-EEG findings considerably broadened the clinical knowledge of the disorder and provided a basis for therapy modification. In the remaining 38 percent, no significant electrical or clinical events occurred so that C-EEG studies yielded no new important information. The utility of C-EEG was greatest for younger patients with generalized epilepsies whereas older children with partial epilepsies constituted the majority of diagnostic failures. These findings demonstrate that C-EEG recording may contribute useful information concerning childhood paroxysmal disorders, and underscore the importance of careful patient selection.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005071:Evoked Potentials; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000295:instrumentation; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation; D013036:Spasms, Infantile / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013637:Tape Recording / Q000295:instrumentation*