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The role of EEG in patients with suspected epilepsy Volume 22, numéro 2, April 2020

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Auteurs
1 University of South Florida and Tampa General Hospital, Tampa, USA
2 Danish Epilepsy Centre, Dianalund, Collaborating partner of the ERN EpiCARE, Aarhus University Hospital and Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
3 University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA
4 Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, USA
* Correspondence: Selim R. Benbadis University of South Florida, 2 Tampa General Circle, Tampa, FL 33606, USA

Despite the advances in imaging, EEG remains a critical test for the diagnosis of epilepsy. Not only can it confirm the diagnosis, but it can also clarify the type of epilepsy. There are many different types of EEG recordings depending on duration, the presence of video, and inpatient or outpatient setting, each with its pros and cons. Interictal epileptiform abnormalities are very specific to epilepsy, but they can be over-interpreted by inexperienced readers. In addition to diagnosis of epilepsy, EEG also has a role in the decision to discontinue treatment in seizure-free patients, and in assessing critically ill patients for possible status epilepticus and encephalopathies. EEG reports should be relatively standardized and clear to the clinician who requested the EEG.

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