Impact of ambulatory EEG in the management of patients with epilepsy in resource-limited Latin American populations

Objective

Ambulatory electroencephalography (AEEG) monitoring allows for prolonged recordings in normal environments, such as patients’ homes, and is recognized as a cost-effective alternative to inpatient long-term video-EEG primarily in resource-limited countries. We aim to describe the impact of AEEG on the assessment of patients with suspected or confirmed epilepsy in two independent Latin-American populations with limited resources.

Methods

We included 63 patients who had undergone an AEEG due to confirmed/suspected epilepsy. Clinical (demographic, current antiseizure medication and indication) and electroencephalographic (duration of the study, result, and impact on clinical decision-making) were reviewed and compared.

Results

The main indication for an AEEG was the differentiation of seizures from non-epileptic events with 57% of patients. It was categorized as positive in 36 patients and did have an impact on the clinical decision-making process in 57% of patients. AEEG captured clinical events in 35 patients (20 epileptic and 15 non-epileptic).

Conclusions

AEEG proves to be a valuable tool in resource-limited settings for assessing suspected or confirmed epilepsy cases, with a significant impact on clinical decisions.

Significance

Our study provides valuable insights into the use of AEEG in under-resourced regions, shedding light on the challenges and potential benefits of this tool in clinical practice.