role of telemetry [simultaneous video and EEG monitoring] in the proper management of epilepsy

ABSTRACT

Telemetry is defined as simultaneous video and EEG monitoring of presumably epileptic patients while they are hospitalized in telemetry ward so that one or more of the habitual seizures or funs are captured and recorded; these events would be visualized and analyzed later by expert epileptologists for the sake of proper diagnosis, classification, presurgical evaluation or else. To define and evaluate simultaneous Video-EEG monitoring in epilepsy management. Two hundreds consecutive telemetries at King's College Hospital in London over the period of nine months starting from Jan 2007 back to May 2006 were reviewed and the conclusive yields were evaluated. It showed that the three main indications for referral were to be the diagnosis' in a proportion of 56.5% presurgical evaluation in 19.8% and ' classification' in 15.2% whereas other application like assessment for vagal nerve stimulation [VNS] candidacy, sleep studies, follow up and frequency estimation constitute the remaining 8.5% . It was conclusive in 63% for 'classification', 60% for 'diagnosis', and only 34%for presurgical evaluation, whereas categorically was conclusive in 56.55 of all referrals. The study shows that telemetry is a crucial and probably an indispensable tool if the proper understanding of the problem, and consequently proper handling and management are to be considered