title: Usefulness of Video-EEG monitoring in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the characteristics of patients on whom long-term Video-EEG monitoring is performed in a specialist centre and to assess its suitability to study refractory epilepsy patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective analysis and study of Video-EEG monitoring was performed in a series of 100 refractory epilepsy patients from a single centre. The analysis included demographic data, the time until the first seizure, the methods used to provoke seizures, and the outcome (usefulness, change in the management, pharmacological and surgical improvement). A subgroup analysis based on diagnosis was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study was performed mainly on young people (mean 34.4 years) and the first seizure appeared in a mean of 30hours, requiring most of the patients to withdraw the medication. Nevertheless, there were no cases of status epilepticus. The usefulness of the test was high in all the groups. The management was changed in 65% of the patients with pharmacological and surgical improvement.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Long-term Video-EEG monitoring is a suitable test to study refractory epilepsy patients. The main problem in our country is accesibility.
authors.affiliation: Unidad Multidisciplinar de Epilepsia, Hospital Universitario La Fe, Valencia, España. vevillanuevah@yahoo.es
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Villanueva
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: García
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Beltrán
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Palau
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Conde
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Smeyers
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rubio
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gómez
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rubio
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sanjuán
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Avila
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Belloch
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pérez-Velasco
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Campo
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Domínguez
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D004351:Drug Resistance; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012640:Seizures / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D014741:Video Recording / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants