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EEG for children with complex febrile seizures
Pankaj B Shah1, Saji James, S Elayaraja
1Department of Community Medicine, Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, Sri. Ramachandra University, Ramachandra Nagar, Porur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, 600116.
Insights
No randomized controlled trials were found to support or refute the use of electroencephalography (EEG) for complex febrile seizures in children. Further research with a well-designed randomized controlled trial is needed.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Clinical Electrophysiology
Background:
- Febrile seizures are common in young children and can be classified as simple or complex.
- Complex febrile seizures, characterized by prolonged duration, recurrence, or focal neurological signs, sometimes lead to electroencephalography (EEG) recommendations.
- Limited evidence currently supports the use and optimal timing of EEG after complex febrile seizures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the utility and optimal timing of electroencephalography (EEG) in children under five years of age who have experienced complex febrile seizures.
Main Methods:
- A systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted.
- Searches included the Cochrane Epilepsy Group Specialized Register, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, and ClinicalTrials.gov up to July 2015.
- Studies were selected based on examining the use or timing of EEG after complex febrile seizures in children.
Main Results:
- Despite searching 37 potentially eligible studies, no randomized controlled trials (RCTs) met the inclusion criteria for this review.
- No new studies were identified since the previous version of this Cochrane review.
Conclusions:
- There is a lack of high-quality evidence from RCTs to either support or refute the use of EEG and its timing in children with complex febrile seizures.
- A well-designed randomized controlled trial with adequate sample size is necessary to establish the role of EEG in managing complex febrile seizures.
Background:
This is an updated version of original Cochrane review published in Issue 1, 2014.Febrile seizures can be classified as simple or complex. Complex febrile seizures are associated with fever that lasts longer than 15 minutes, occur more than once within 24 hours and are confined to one side of the child's body. It is common in some countries for doctors to recommend an electroencephalograph (EEG) for children with complex febrile seizures. A limited evidence base is available to support the use of EEG and its timing after complex febrile seizures among children.
Objectives:
To assess the use of EEG and its timing after complex febrile seizures in children younger than five years of age.
Search Methods:
For the latest update of this review, we searched the Cochrane Epilepsy Group Specialized Register (6 July 2015), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, 2005, Issue 6), MEDLINE (6 July 2015) and ClinicalTrials.gov (6 July 2015). We applied no language restrictions.
Selection Criteria:
All randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that examined the utility of an EEG and its timing after complex febrile seizures in children.
Data Collection And Analysis:
Review authors selected and retrieved the articles and independently assessed which articles should be included. We resolved disagreements by discussion and by consultation with the Cochrane Epilepsy Group. We applied standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane.
Main Results:
Of 37 potentially eligible studies, no RCTs met the inclusion criteria.
Authors' Conclusions:
We found no RCTs as evidence to support or refute the use of EEG and its timing after complex febrile seizures among children. An RCT can be planned in such a way that participants are randomly assigned to the EEG group and to the non-EEG group with sufficient sample size. Since the last version of this review, we found no new studies.
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