Seizure frequency discrepancy between subjective and objective ictal electroencephalography data in dogs

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Neurology
• Epileptology
• Diagnostic Imaging

Background:

• Veterinary epilepsy studies often rely on subjective caregiver reports for seizure frequency.
• Human epilepsy diagnosis primarily uses objective electroencephalography (EEG) data to minimize seizure underreporting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the correlation between reported seizure frequency and EEG-detected ictal paroxysmal discharges (PDs).
• To investigate the presence of seizure underreporting in veterinary epileptology.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 33 ambulatory video-EEG recordings in dogs with seizures.
• Manual counting of ictal PDs for EEG seizure frequency and comparison with caregiver-reported frequencies.
• Spearman rank test used for correlation analysis.

Main Results:

• A weak correlation (r_s = 0.39) was observed between reported seizure frequency and EEG-confirmed ictal PDs.
• Similar weak correlations were found for motor (r_s = 0.36) and nonmotor (r_s = 0.37) seizures.

Conclusions:

• Subjective caregiver reports show limited reliability for determining true seizure frequency in dogs.
• The study suggests a potential seizure underreporting phenomenon in veterinary epileptology.
• Prospective studies are recommended to confirm these findings.