Spectrum of electroencephalographic abnormalities in a cohort of patients from a teaching tertiary care hospital in Western India

Abstract

Context: Electroencephalogram (EEG) is a very important tool for investigation of the central nervous system as it provides information about the function of neurons at the time of recording. The major utility of EEG is in the detection of abnormal, excessive electrical activity seen in patients with seizures. Aims: To determine the prevalence of abnormality on EEG in our patient population and to assess the contribution of EEG as a diagnostic modality in a multispecialty hospital. Materials and Methods: EEG findings of 107 patients (age 187 ± 80 months) who underwent EEG for various indications was analyzed. Results: It was found that 20 (18.69%) patients had abnormal EEG. The abnormalities included spikes (50%), sharp waves (50%), spike and wave discharges (20%) and the background abnormalities. Conclusions: The yield of EEG was lower in our study as compared to some other studies. The possible reason may be a higher proportion of patients with febrile seizures and unselected patient population.