Ambulatory Video-EEG Is Useful for Non-Urgent Diagnostic Evaluation of Events

Seizure: European Journal of Epilepsy

Doctors, patients, and health insurance companies are always looking to cut costs while still providing quality care. One cost-effective way to do this is by using ambulatory video EEG monitoring (AVEM), which is a type of EEG monitoring that can be done outside of a hospital setting. A new study published looked at the outcome of AVEM in a 10,000 patient cohort nationwide and found that it was an effective and safe way to monitor patients with epilepsy.

The authors found that ambulatory video-EEG helps capture and evaluate nonepileptic events. In this study, 9221 cases were analyzed, with 62.5% reaching the primary outcome measure. This means that nearly two-thirds of the time an event was captured on video using ambulatory video-EEG equipment that monitors neurological activity in individuals.

This study provides valuable information for epilepsy patients and their families and doctors who may be considering using AVEM in the future. Not all events will be captured on video during an AVEM monitoring session; however, they can provide invaluable diagnostic information when they are caught.

This study is of particular interest for epilepsy patients who experience brief events that are often difficult to capture with other types of EEG monitoring. In addition, if you or someone in your family has epilepsy, it might be worth considering AVEM as an additional diagnostic tool.

For more information on epilepsy and how to live well with epilepsy, you can contact the Epilepsy Foundation or visit their website at Epilepsy.com.