Video-EEG monitoring of paroxysmal events in the elderly.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the importance of video-EEG monitoring (VEM) in elderly patients with various paroxysmal events.


METHODS
We retrospectively identified 16 subjects > or = 60 years old out of 834 (1.9%; 7 females, mean age 67.8 +/- 7.7 years), who were admitted to the Video-EEG Unit between 1997 and 2005 and compared data between those with and without epileptic events.


RESULTS
Epilepsy was confirmed in six patients, psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (NES) were diagnosed in seven, one patient had NES and epilepsy whereas the recorded events were non-conclusive in two. NES patients had a higher predisposition to psychiatric disturbances (P<0.02). Following VEM and management alteration, the frequency of monthly events decreased significantly for the cohort as a whole (P<0.001). VEM directly influenced the diagnosis, treatment and outcome of 14 of 16 (88%) patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Video-EEM plays a vital role in the evaluation of paroxysmal events in the elderly, but is vastly underutilized in this population group.
Kipervasser
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S
Department of Neurology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Neufeld
M Y
MY
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014741:Video Recording / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*