[The value of pentetrazol (Deumacard) provocation in EEG for the evaluation of driving ability]

The validity range of P. provocation is not related to clinical differential diagnostics, but to a function-diagnostic approach to the question of epileptic reaction tendency. Independent of the diagnosis, the traffic-medical fitness is constituted by the individual prognosis with respect to prospective traffic-relevant performance reliability. If either bilateral or focal EEG paroxysm can be provoked with the indicated fractionated injection technique, this finding should be judged as risk factor which must be taken into consideration in the interdisciplinary elaboration of the fitness appraisal. The survey of 30 P. provocations shows that the special indication is in particular to be considered as being present in case of a high traffic risk and epileptic or syncopal attacks occurring rarely or having occurred a long time before. On the basis of the gain in function-diagnostic information, P. provocation is found to be an aid in decision making in individual cases which can increase quality and safety degree of the expert's statements.