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Overuse of the EEG

Consultant Neurologist, Institute of Neurological Sciences, Southern General Hospital, Glasgow, UK; johnpaul.leach@sgh.scot.nhs.uk

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

While I agree with the main thrust of Dr Benbadis’s article published in the October issue (Practical Neurology 2007;7:323–5) I can’t help but think that one point has been completely missed. Most people would agree that the EEG is open to misinterpretation and should be reported only by clinicians with proper training and expertise, but the main problem in both cases was not that the non-specific EEG changes were over-interpreted, but that the EEG should not have been done in the first place! It can never make sense to perform EEG to investigate the two sets of symptoms listed (indicative of syncope and fatigue). As ever, the diagnosis of epilepsy depends not on investigation, but on a clear history. There has already been work done which shows the benefits of educating physicians in the benefits and drawbacks of EEG, which results in a reduction in the burden . . . [Full text of this article]