[EEG correlates of therapeutic effects of electroconvulsive therapy]. / EEG koreláty terapeutického úcinku elektrokonvulzivní lécby.

In a group of 52 patients electroconvulsive treatment by means of a Thymatron apparatus was provided under simultaneous EEG control. In addition to parameters of the EEG curve (type of curve according to intensity of the paroxysmal process, duration of electroconvulsion on EEG, type of termination of paroxysm of EEG) also other variables were investigated in relation to the therapeutic effect. The following were identified as significant predictors for marked clinical improvement: type of EEG curve with more marked paroxysmal activity, shorter cumulative duration of electroconvulsions on EEG before first clinical improvement of the patient and a higher CGI entering score. Other variables proved unimportant, e.g. the patient's age, total number of electroconvulsions, total cumulative duration of electroconvulsions on EEG and type of termination of electroconvulsions on EEG.

[Experience with the Thymatron DG apparatus in determining the duration of electroconvulsions]. / Zkusenosti s prístojem Thymatron DG pri stanovení délky elektrokonvulze.

Electroconvulsive therapy was administered, using a Thymatron apparatus DG in a group of 29 female patients with a total number of 150 convulsions. The apparatus makes it possible to take an EEG reading and to evaluate it automatically. Moreover, the paroxysm were evaluated clinically and visually from EEG tracings. The authors proved a significant disagreement as regards evaluation of the length of electroconvulsions assessed by the three methods of evaluation (clinical, automatic EEG analyzer and visual EEG evaluation). They identified moreover in the group, using the automatic EEG analyzer, 11.7% abortive convulsions, by visual EEG evaluation 10.3%, while according to clinical evaluation the rate was as high as 59.2%. Conversely on clinical evaluation no convulsion appeared to be protracted, while according to EEG this was the case in 9.6% (automatic analyzer) and in 10.3% (visual evaluation). On qualitative discrimination of abortive and protracted convulsions and convulsions with a satisfactory duration the automatic and visual EEG evaluation did not differ significantly, and the function of the automatic analyzer seems satisfactory for this basic evaluation of electroconvulsions.