title: Indeterminate EMU admissions: does repeating the admission help?
abstract: Epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) admissions during 2007-2009 at Mayo Clinic Hospital Arizona were reviewed. Of the 106 indeterminate admissions, 13 (12%) went on to have a second admission. During the second admission, 8 (62%) were diagnosed. Five patients went on to have a third or fourth admission, with none of them receiving a diagnosis. Nineteen (18%) patients had ambulatory EEG monitoring after an indeterminate admission, with only one (5%) receiving a diagnosis after ambulatory EEG monitoring. Even in patients who were initially indeterminate, medication management changed 37% of the time. Admission to the EMU was helpful for spell classification, with 80% of the patients receiving a diagnosis after the first admission. Based on this study, a second admission should be considered if no diagnosis is reached after the first admission. If no diagnosis is made after the second EMU admission, subsequent admissions are unlikely to produce a definitive diagnosis.
authors: Mayo Clinic Arizona, Phoenix, AZ, USA. Zarkou.Srijana@mayo.edu
authors: Srijana
authors: S
authors: Zarkou
authors: Madeline
authors: M
authors: Grade
authors: Matthew T
authors: MT
authors: Hoerth
authors: Katherine H
authors: KH
authors: Noe
authors: Joseph I
authors: JI
authors: Sirven
authors: Joseph F
authors: JF
authors: Drazkowski
mesh_terms: D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018670:Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000379:methods*