Study of electroencephalogram characteristics in neurological conditions in pediatric tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Background: Electroencephalogram (EEG) remains a veritable tool in the diagnostic workup of seizures and childhood epileptic syndromes. EEG has a significant role in substantiating the clinical suspicion of epilepsy, the classification of seizures, and the management of childhood epilepsy. Methods: This study was retrospective descriptive with convenience sampling where two-years EEG recordings were included and the reporting were reviewed. The desired variables were encrypted and descriptive analysis made via statistical software SPSS version 20. Results: There was 499 EEG done in a two-year time period where the female children were (n=205, 41.1%) and mean age was 66 months. There were (n=317, 63.5%) children from out of Kathmandu valley. The most common indication for EEG recommendation was seizure without impaired consciousness (69.7%) and least common indication was seizure with impaired consciousness (8.4%). The rate of detection of EEG abnormalities in seizure without impaired consciousness was 43.9% while that in seizure with impaired consciousness was 38.1%. Among the most common EEG abnormality, abnormal sleep EEG record suggestive of generalized epilepsy most of the children had a history of seizure without impaired consciousness (71.4%) and least presented with seizure with impaired consciousness. Conclusions: The abnormality detection rate of epilepsy was higher in chance if done in early ages. The possibility of findings in EEG are higher with the history of seizures and the perinatal insult as well as birth asphyxia. EEG should be carried out to support the diagnosis of epilepsy in children, and a normal EEG won't be totally excluding epilepsy.