Evaluation of the efficiency of inpatient 24-hour VEEG combined with MRI in consecutive patients with newly diagnosed epilepsies

Epilepsy Behav. 2011 Apr;20(4):633-7. doi: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2010.12.036. Epub 2011 Mar 17.

Abstract

A total of 128 patients were recruited into this study to evaluate the cost efficiency of 24-hour video electroencephalography (VEEG) combined with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in people with newly diagnosed epilepsies. The rate of neuroimaging abnormalities detected was 14.8% higher with MRI than with computed tomography (CT), whereas 25.7% more EEG abnormalities were detected with inpatient 24-hour VEEG than with outpatient EEG. In the partial seizure (PS) group, MRI combined with 24-hour VEEG revealed that 20 of 73 (27.4%) patients had local epileptogenic lesions, whereas CT with outpatient EEG revealed a rate of 10 in 73 (13.7%). With respect to the economic impact, 27.3% of the patients spent more than 17.8% of their annual household income for 24-hour VEEG and MRI. However, 82.7% of the patients spent less than that, and among these patients, only 16.4% spent less than 5.9% of their annual household income. Hence, we conclude that the combination of MRI and 24-hour VEEG as a compulsory tool should be popularized in less developed countries.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Brain / pathology*
  • Chi-Square Distribution
  • Electroencephalography / methods*
  • Epilepsy / diagnosis*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Inpatients
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Prospective Studies
  • Statistics as Topic
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed / methods
  • Video Recording / methods
  • Young Adult