Guerrero-Aranda A, Taveras-Almonte FJ, Villalpando-Vargas FV, López-Jiménez K, Sandoval-Sánchez GM, Montes-Brown J. Impact of ambulatory EEG in the management of patients with epilepsy in resource-limited Latin American populations.
Clin Neurophysiol Pract 2023;
8:197-202. [PMID:
38033757 PMCID:
PMC10684530 DOI:
10.1016/j.cnp.2023.10.001]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 10/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective
Ambulatory electroencephalography (AEEG) monitoring allows for prolonged recordings in normal environments, such as patients' homes, and is recognized as a cost-effective alternative to inpatient long-term video-EEG primarily in resource-limited countries. We aim to describe the impact of AEEG on the assessment of patients with suspected or confirmed epilepsy in two independent Latin-American populations with limited resources.
Methods
We included 63 patients who had undergone an AEEG due to confirmed/suspected epilepsy. Clinical (demographic, current antiseizure medication and indication) and electroencephalographic (duration of the study, result, and impact on clinical decision-making) were reviewed and compared.
Results
The main indication for an AEEG was the differentiation of seizures from non-epileptic events with 57% of patients. It was categorized as positive in 36 patients and did have an impact on the clinical decision-making process in 57% of patients. AEEG captured clinical events in 35 patients (20 epileptic and 15 non-epileptic).
Conclusions
AEEG proves to be a valuable tool in resource-limited settings for assessing suspected or confirmed epilepsy cases, with a significant impact on clinical decisions.
Significance
Our study provides valuable insights into the use of AEEG in under-resourced regions, shedding light on the challenges and potential benefits of this tool in clinical practice.
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