“Study Reveals Optimal EEG Monitoring Duration for Detecting Infantile Epileptic Spasms”
A recent study set out to find out how long electroencephalography (EEG) recordings need to be in order to effectively detect epileptic spasms (ES) in patients with infantile epileptic spasms syndrome (IESS). This research looked back at data from patients who had overnight video-EEG monitoring between January 2020 and June 2022. The goal was to gather insights on how the duration of EEG monitoring impacts the detection of these spasms and related conditions.
The study included 90 patients, and interestingly, nearly half (43%) of them continued to experience ES after two weeks. A significant finding was that patients who showed signs of epileptic encephalopathy (EE) were much more likely to continue having spasms; about 79% with EE had ongoing ES, compared to only 27% without it. This suggests that the severity of the condition influences the likelihood of continued spasms. Additionally, it was found that patients with structural causes for their epilepsy were also more prone to ongoing spasms.
When it came to the effectiveness of EEG monitoring over time, the results showed that detection rates for ES improved with longer recording durations. After just one hour, only about 36% of cases were detected, but this jumped to nearly 85% after six hours, and over 90% after 14 hours. Sleep detection rates were also quite promising, with 95.6% accuracy achieved at the six-hour mark, and all patients were monitored successfully for sleep by 11 hours.
In conclusion, the findings highlight that typical short EEG monitoring durations may not be sufficient for patients with IESS, especially those showing signs of EE. For effective monitoring and detection of epileptic spasms, a longer duration of EEG recording is advised, particularly at the two-week follow-up. This study provides valuable guidance for healthcare professionals in determining the optimal length of monitoring sessions to better support patients with this challenging condition.