Modern advances in epilepsy imaging used on the basis of cost: A review

Abstract

Epilepsy is a chronic neurologic condition that affects social behavior, health, the economy, and social functioning. Worldwide, an estimated 5 million people are diagnosed with epilepsy each year. More than 50 million people are reportedly affected globally. 49% of epilepsy patients live in low-to middle-income countries; in exceptional situations, this number may reach 139/100,000 people. This review provides imaging therapy used for the diagnoses which are compared according to the cost of individual imaging techniques reliable or affordable for the patient. The main tools used to evaluate patients with epilepsy are electroencephalography (EEG), and the functional imaging modalities for epilepsy are positional emission tomography, single-photon emission computed tomography (CT), tissue ablation using high-intensity focused ultrasound, deep non-invasive neuromodulation, and blood–brain barrier opening using superficial targets, focused ultrasound, magnetoencephalography (MEG), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In the differential diagnosis imaging findings, the treatment of epilepsy is significantly better. By comparing the one-time cost of all imaging techniques, the three techniques mostly used are CT, MRI, and EEG. Patients may easily access and afford these imagining techniques because they are readily available at low cost which lies between 1000 and 10,000 rupees.