EEG prediction of post-traumatic epilepsy

EEGs from 722 patients with injuries associated with a high risk of late traumatic epilepsy were analyzed. Although abnormal records were more common in patients who developed epilepsy, they reflected the more severe brain damage in these patients, which was already evident from clinical features. In individual patients the EEG does not improve the accuracy of the prediction calculated from clinical data. Patients with persisting or newly developing EEG abnormalities may never have a fit, while 20% of those with late epilepsy had at least one normal record in the first 3 months after injury. The conclusion that the EEG does not contribute usefully to the prediction of traumatic epilepsy appears to reflect a consensus among recent writers on the subject.