Frequency of Different Types of Artifacts in Electroencephalography of the Brain of Hospitalized and Outpatient Patients Referred to the Clinics of Al-Zahra Hospital and Khorshid Hospital in Isfahan

Background: Artifact is a common error in patient’s electroencephalogram that if not addressed, it can lead to reduced quality and ultimately misdiagnosis. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of different types of artifacts in electroencephalography of the brain of hospitalized and outpatient patients referred to the clinics of Al-Zahra Hospital and Khorshid Hospital in Isfahan. Methods: In this cross-sectional study that was performed in Al-Zahra and Noor hospitals in Isfahan in 1399, 256 patients were studied by electroencephalography and examined for their electroencephalography, the presence of physiological and non-physiological artifacts and the source of artifacts in them. Results: Out of 256 patients studied, in 237 cases (92.6%) the artifacts were physiological and 19 (7.4%) were non-physiological. The type of physiological artifacts included 217 cases (91.6%) ocular, 1 case (0.4%) cardiac, 5 cases (2.1%) sweating and 14 cases (5.9%) motor. Among non-physiological artifacts, 11 (57.9%) were electrode and 8 (42.1%) were external artifacts. There was no significant difference in the type of artifacts performed according to the age and sex of the patients. Conclusion: The findings of the present study show that the presence of artifacts in patient’s electroencephalogram is very common, and among them, physiological ocular artifacts and non-physiological electrode artifacts are the most common errors in patients’ electroencephalogram and therefore it is necessary to Investigate the possibility of different types of artifacts and take the necessary strategies to reduce them.