[P2-73] Diagnostic Value of Video-EEG: Improved Diagnosis of Epilepsy in Children with Intellectual Disability or Psychiatric disorder
It is a clinical challenge to distinguish epileptic seizures from non-epileptic seizures in children. A particularly vulnerable group is children with comorbidity in form of intellectual disability and psychiatric illness. Diagnostic video-EEG monitoring (DVEM) has in recent years become an important tool and improved diagnosis of epilepsy. Detailed study in children with these comorbidities has not been performed. The aim of our study was to investigate the usefulness of DVEAM in this population.
Patients younger than 18 years who have underwent DVEM from 2002 to 2016 were included. Data were collected from medical records, focusing on seizure activity and drug treatment before and after completing the investigation.
In total, 38 patients were identified and were grouped as patients with comorbidity (n = 28) and patients without co-morbidity (n = 10). Of the 28 patients with co-morbidity, modification of drug treatment after DVEAM was made in 56% compared to 30% in the group without comorbidity. The proportion of patients with non-epileptic seizures were 24% in the group with intellectual disabilities or psychiatric diagnosis. The results of the performed retrospective study indicate an important role of DVEM in both diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy and non-epileptic seizures, especially in children with intellectual disabilities or psychiatric illness. This seems to be valid even in cases where routine EEG has been performed earlier. There is a need of future studies to examine the utility of DVEM in a larger population with intellectual disability or psychiatric illness.
Patients younger than 18 years who have underwent DVEM from 2002 to 2016 were included. Data were collected from medical records, focusing on seizure activity and drug treatment before and after completing the investigation.
In total, 38 patients were identified and were grouped as patients with comorbidity (n = 28) and patients without co-morbidity (n = 10). Of the 28 patients with co-morbidity, modification of drug treatment after DVEAM was made in 56% compared to 30% in the group without comorbidity. The proportion of patients with non-epileptic seizures were 24% in the group with intellectual disabilities or psychiatric diagnosis. The results of the performed retrospective study indicate an important role of DVEM in both diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy and non-epileptic seizures, especially in children with intellectual disabilities or psychiatric illness. This seems to be valid even in cases where routine EEG has been performed earlier. There is a need of future studies to examine the utility of DVEM in a larger population with intellectual disability or psychiatric illness.