A comparison of quantitative EEG frequency analysis and conventional EEG in patients with focal brain lesions

The sensitivity and specificity of quantified EEG frequency analysis (EEGFA) were assessed in a group of patients with CT or MRI verified unilateral cerebral lesions and compared with the results of conventional EEG interpretations. Digital EEG recordings were obtained in 25 patients and 25 normal control subjects during performance of an alerting task. Recording artifacts were carefully eliminated. The results of EEGFA were then statistically compared with those of 75 additional normal subjects in the same age range. Complete conventional EEGs were blindly interpreted by two independent electroencephalographers using a structured reporting procedure. We observed similar overall sensitivities for the two methods. Optimal yield for EEGFA was associated with the use of longer edited EEG lengths, longitudinal bipolar montage, and normative data based on total EEG power. In those recordings with normal or mildly abnormal EEG backgrounds the two techniques were to an extent complimentary, each detecting abnormalities missed by the other. In such circumstances EEGFA may be useful as an extension of conventional EEG interpretation.