[The value of EEG after sleep deprivation (author's transl)]

Seventy seven adult epileptics and 30 patients with clinically non epileptic seizures were subject to a 24 hours sleep deprivation. The waking records of these patients were normal or unspecific abnormal. After sleep deprivation 29 (37%) of epileptics had abnormal EEG with epileptiform or focal activity, more often in cases with frequent (26 (60%) patients out of 43) epileptic seizures. Patients with sporadic attacks only exceptionally showed specific EEG changes (3 patients (8,8%) out of 34). Drug induced sleep emerged to be diagnostically less helpful. Twenty nine out of 30 patients with clinical nonepileptic seizures had no additional abnormalities in the EEG after sleep deprivation.