Evaluating the usefulness of video eeg monitoring in the diagnosis of epilepsy

Video Electroencephalographic monitoring (VEM) is used in the diagnosis and classification of epileptic seizures. The Video EEGs of sixty six (66) patients admitted to our VEM Laboratory between 2013- 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. VEM results were abnormal in 43.9% of the all cases. Based upon their preliminary diagnosis, patients were divided into three groups: syncope, non-epileptic seizure and epilepsy. Twenty three patients (35% of total) presented with a diagnosis of syncope. Only 13% of these 23 syncope patients had abnormal VEM results. The non-epileptic seizure group consisted of eleven patients (46% of the total). Of these only 5 (17%) had abnormalities on their VEM. The epilepsy group (49% of total) had 66% abnormal VEM results. In all groups, nineteen (76% of total) patients who had normal EEG showed abnormal VEM results. VEM is very successful in establishing the differential diagnosis of non-epileptic seizures. © 2015 Anatolian Journal of Clinical Investigation. All rights reserved.