The significance of EEG recording in confirming the diagnosis of epilepsy in cases referred for the 1st time

Abstract

Aim: To discuss the significance of EEG as a routine clinical diagnostic tool in first recording of newly discovered or suspected cases of epilepsy.Method: The study has included 246 patient referred for the first time in year 1992 by neurologist and psychiatrist to a private EEG clinic with good description suggesting the diagnosis of epilepsy, the cases were 124 females and 122 males. The positive specific + nonspecific and the negative recording results were correlated according to the type of seizures, sex and age of the patients and then compared with other studies to see how much EEG recording is précised in confirming the clinical diagnosis of epilepsy.Result: The EEG recording for the 1st time of 246 patient showed 141 (57.4%) cases had positive findings including specific and non-specific abnormality while 105 patients (42.6%) had no evidence suggestive of epilepsy similar result of 60 % had been found by Kugler 1964. Conclusion: Although EEG has an important rule in confirming the clinical diagnosis of epilepsy it has failed in many ways to satisfy early expectation as a diagnostic aid but it can merely serve to diminish the probability of its existence.