The role of electroencephalography in the early diagnosis of non-convulsive status epilepticus in elderly patients with acute confusional state: Two possible strategies?

Francesco Manfredonia, Eleonora Saturno, Andrew Lawley, Sabrina Gasverde, Andrea E. Cavanna

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

Non-convulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) can pose considerable diagnostic challenges, especially in the elderly, because of the wide differential diagnosis with common underlying causes of acute confusional state in this age group. We reviewed the proposed electroencephalography (EEG) strategies to improve the diagnostic yield of non-convulsive status epilepticus in the elderly population. Specifically, a debated topic of clinical relevance is the exact role of the EEG in the early diagnosis of NCSE in the elderly. Two EEG strategies have been proposed to improve the diagnostic yield of NCSE: emergent abbreviated EEG (EAEEG) recordings with reduced montages, and continuous EEG (CEEG) monitoring. Both approaches appear to be potentially advantageous, but at the same time subject to intrinsic limitations. Our literature review found initial evidence that the diagnostic yield for NCSE of prolonged EEG recordings is superior to routine EEGs. Further research is needed to confirm these preliminary findings and to explore strategies to improve the feasibility of a more widespread use of prolonged recordings within acute clinical settings.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)39-42
Number of pages4
JournalSeizure
Volume73
Early online date4 Nov 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2019

Bibliographical note

© 2019, Elsevier. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Keywords

  • Acute confusional state
  • Elderly
  • Electroencephalography
  • Non-convulsive status epilepticus

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The role of electroencephalography in the early diagnosis of non-convulsive status epilepticus in elderly patients with acute confusional state: Two possible strategies?'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this