title: Evaluation of the efficiency of inpatient 24-hour VEEG combined with MRI in consecutive patients with newly diagnosed epilepsies.
abstract: A total of 128 patients were recruited into this study to evaluate the cost efficiency of 24-hour video electroencephalography (VEEG) combined with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in people with newly diagnosed epilepsies. The rate of neuroimaging abnormalities detected was 14.8% higher with MRI than with computed tomography (CT), whereas 25.7% more EEG abnormalities were detected with inpatient 24-hour VEEG than with outpatient EEG. In the partial seizure (PS) group, MRI combined with 24-hour VEEG revealed that 20 of 73 (27.4%) patients had local epileptogenic lesions, whereas CT with outpatient EEG revealed a rate of 10 in 73 (13.7%). With respect to the economic impact, 27.3% of the patients spent more than 17.8% of their annual household income for 24-hour VEEG and MRI. However, 82.7% of the patients spent less than that, and among these patients, only 16.4% spent less than 5.9% of their annual household income. Hence, we conclude that the combination of MRI and 24-hour VEEG as a compulsory tool should be popularized in less developed countries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Si
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jia-jia
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mu
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Li-li
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Lin-yu
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D014741:Video Recording / Q000379:methods; D055815:Young Adult