Seizure Detection Software Used to Complement the Visual Screening Process for Long-Term EEG Monitoring

It is widely recognized that visual screening of long-term EEG recordings can be time-consuming and labor-intensive due to the large volume of patient data produced daily in most Epilepsy Monitoring Units (EMUs). As a result, seizures, especially those with only electrographic changes, are sometimes overlooked, which for some patients could result in missed information for diagnosis, an unnecessarily prolonged hospital stay, and unavailable EMU beds for others. In this report, we propose that a better solution for identifying seizures in long-term EEG recording is to combine detection results from a reliable (high sensitivity and low false detection rate) automated detection system with EEG technologists' visual screening process. Using commercially available detection software, we present case studies that demonstrate potential benefits of this method that could help improve detection rates and bring greater efficiency to the seizure identification process in long-term EEG monitoring.