EEG in epilepsy: Current perspectives

The electroencephalogram (EEG) plays an important diagnostic role in epilep sy and provides supporting evidence of a seizure disorder as well as assist ing with classification of seizures and epilepsy syndromes. Emerging eviden ce suggests that the EEG may also provide useful prognostic information reg arding seizure recurrence after a single unprovoked attack and following an tiepileptic drug withdrawal. Continuous EEG video telemetry monitoring has an established role in the diagnosis of non-epileptic pseudo-seizures and i n localizing the seizure focus for epilepsy surgery. Newer tools such as EE G mapping and magneto-encephalogram, although still investigational, appear potentially useful for defining the seizure focus in epilepsy. This review examines the traditional concepts of clinical EEG in the light of newly av ailable data.