TY - JOUR
T1 - Diagnostic utility of an epilepsy monitoring unit
AU - Smolowitz, Janice L.
AU - Hopkins, Sarah C.
AU - Perrine, Tracey
AU - Eck, Karen E.
AU - Hirsch, Lawrence J.
AU - Mundinger, Mary O.Neil
PY - 2007/3
Y1 - 2007/3
N2 - Guidelines recommend that patients with persist- ent seizures not responsive to standard antiepileptic drugs after 1 year be referred to specialized epilepsy centers for evaluation, which may include inpatient video-electroencephalographic monitoring. This 1-year retrospective, limited-focus review of 213 admissions and 3-year postdischarge review of epilepsy surgery referrals sought to determine if admission to an inpatient adult epilepsy monitoring unit resulted in a definitive diagnosis, a change in diagnosis or treatment, and whether referral pat- terns were consistent with guidelines. The median duration of time since symptom onset prior to admis- sion was 15 years. At discharge, 87.8% of admissions received a definitive diagnosis. Epilepsy was diag- nosed in 73.3% and excluded in 21.6%. Admissions without epilepsy had been treated with antiepileptic drugs for a median of 9 years. Admission resulted in change in treatment in 79%. This review documents the diagnostic utility of an epilepsy monitoring unit while highlighting that time since symptom onset to admission exceeded established guidelines.
AB - Guidelines recommend that patients with persist- ent seizures not responsive to standard antiepileptic drugs after 1 year be referred to specialized epilepsy centers for evaluation, which may include inpatient video-electroencephalographic monitoring. This 1-year retrospective, limited-focus review of 213 admissions and 3-year postdischarge review of epilepsy surgery referrals sought to determine if admission to an inpatient adult epilepsy monitoring unit resulted in a definitive diagnosis, a change in diagnosis or treatment, and whether referral pat- terns were consistent with guidelines. The median duration of time since symptom onset prior to admis- sion was 15 years. At discharge, 87.8% of admissions received a definitive diagnosis. Epilepsy was diag- nosed in 73.3% and excluded in 21.6%. Admissions without epilepsy had been treated with antiepileptic drugs for a median of 9 years. Admission resulted in change in treatment in 79%. This review documents the diagnostic utility of an epilepsy monitoring unit while highlighting that time since symptom onset to admission exceeded established guidelines.
KW - Adults
KW - Epilepsy/diagnosis/epidemiology
KW - Inpatients/statistics
KW - Monitoring
KW - Retrospective studies
KW - Seizures/diagnosis/etiology/physiopathology
KW - Videotape recording
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=34047183377&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/1062860606298295
DO - 10.1177/1062860606298295
M3 - Article
C2 - 17395968
AN - SCOPUS:34047183377
SN - 1062-8606
VL - 22
SP - 117
EP - 122
JO - American Journal of Medical Quality
JF - American Journal of Medical Quality
IS - 2
ER -