BACKGROUND: Twenty-four hour ambulatory electroencephatography (AEEG) provides advantages for continuous electroencephalogram, monitoring brief loss of consciousness complicated by suspect or mild limb spasm. OBJEC...BACKGROUND: Twenty-four hour ambulatory electroencephatography (AEEG) provides advantages for continuous electroencephalogram, monitoring brief loss of consciousness complicated by suspect or mild limb spasm. OBJECTIVE: To explore the significance of AEEG for differentially diagnosing epilepsy and syncope, compared to EEG. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING: Sixty patients with brief loss of consciousness, complicated by suspect or mild limb spasm, were selected from Suqian People's Hospital between January 2006 and June 2007. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty participants comprised 34 males and 26 females, aged 13-64 years. According to clinical symptoms prior to the study, 36 patients were initially diagnosed with epilepsy and 24 with syncope. METHODS AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Abnormalities and epileptiform discharge were detected using EEG and AEEG, and the diagnostic value of the two methods for epilepsy and syncope was compared. RESULTS: A total of sixty patients were included in the final analysis. Abnormal AEEGs were observed in 37 cases (62%) and epileptiform discharge AEEGs in 23 cases (38%), both of which were significantly greater than EEGs [37% (22/60), 18% (11/60), respectively, P 〈 0.01, 0.05]. The detection rate of abnormal AEEG and epileptiform discharge in the epilepsy group [75% (27/36), 47% (17/36), respectively was significantly greater than in the syncope group [42% (10/24), 25% (6/24), respectively, P 〈 0.01, 0.05]. CONCLUSION: AEEG can improve detection probability of epileptiform discharge and exhibits significant differences in the differential diagnosis of epilepsy and syncope.展开更多
文摘BACKGROUND: Twenty-four hour ambulatory electroencephatography (AEEG) provides advantages for continuous electroencephalogram, monitoring brief loss of consciousness complicated by suspect or mild limb spasm. OBJECTIVE: To explore the significance of AEEG for differentially diagnosing epilepsy and syncope, compared to EEG. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING: Sixty patients with brief loss of consciousness, complicated by suspect or mild limb spasm, were selected from Suqian People's Hospital between January 2006 and June 2007. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty participants comprised 34 males and 26 females, aged 13-64 years. According to clinical symptoms prior to the study, 36 patients were initially diagnosed with epilepsy and 24 with syncope. METHODS AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Abnormalities and epileptiform discharge were detected using EEG and AEEG, and the diagnostic value of the two methods for epilepsy and syncope was compared. RESULTS: A total of sixty patients were included in the final analysis. Abnormal AEEGs were observed in 37 cases (62%) and epileptiform discharge AEEGs in 23 cases (38%), both of which were significantly greater than EEGs [37% (22/60), 18% (11/60), respectively, P 〈 0.01, 0.05]. The detection rate of abnormal AEEG and epileptiform discharge in the epilepsy group [75% (27/36), 47% (17/36), respectively was significantly greater than in the syncope group [42% (10/24), 25% (6/24), respectively, P 〈 0.01, 0.05]. CONCLUSION: AEEG can improve detection probability of epileptiform discharge and exhibits significant differences in the differential diagnosis of epilepsy and syncope.