Urgent Video Electroencephalography in the Pediatric Emergency Department: Is It Useful?

Seizures account for about 1% of pediatric emergency department (PED) visits. Electroencephalography (EEG) is essential for evaluating seizures and other neurological concerns. The utility of urgent video-EEG (vEEG) in the PED remains unclear. The objective of this study was to study the role of vEEG in evaluating children presenting with seizures and other paroxysmal events.

A retrospective chart review analysis was conducted at a single tertiary children's hospital over a three-year period in children (0-18 years) presenting to a PED with neurological symptoms and underwent vEEG.

A total of 277 patients underwent vEEG (142 females [52%]; mean age, 7.7 years). The most common indications were new-onset paroxysmal events (37%) and first unprovoked seizure (20%). vEEG was performed within 24 hours of the event and sleep was achieved in 92% and 80% of patients, respectively. Most patients (61%) had abnormal findings. Perinatal risk factors, pre-existing developmental delay, pre-established epilepsy, and an abnormal neurological examination highly correlated with vEEG abnormalities (P < 0.05). Clinical events captured during monitoring differentiated epileptic from nonepileptic episodes (16%). New-onset paroxysmal events were diagnosed as epileptic in 60%. Specific epilepsy syndromes were identified in 57% of this subgroup. vEEG contributed to initiation of antiseizure medications (47%) and impacted decisions to change antiseizure medications in 67% of patients with known epilepsy. Abnormalities on neuroimaging were found in approximately half of the patients with abnormal vEEG who were imaged.

This study suggests that urgent vEEG in PEDs can lead to early diagnosis and treatment, reduce the need for further investigations, and potentially improve outcomes. However, the cost-effectiveness and availability of vEEG in PEDs need further evaluation.