Diagnostic techniques

Assessment of epilepsy requires a multidisciplinary team. We need an epileptologist a neurosurgeon a neuropsychologist a neuroradiologist a neurological nurse a psychiatrist and a social worker. This, ideally. To localize the seizure foci we can use different techniques. We can use e EEG, to investigate the brain electrically. Magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the brain structurally and to investigate the brain from a metabolic perspective we can use positron emission tomography. For patients with focal seizure disorders that don’t respond to

pharmacological treatment: surgical resection of seizure focus is necessary, and for this reason we have to localize precisely the focus. Electric encephalography is the most specific diagnostic test in finding electrical abnormalities. Sometimes it is possible to use video EEG which monitors the behaviuor of the patient and the electrical activity differentiating epileptic and not epileptic events. Structural magnetic resonance imaging identifies aetiology for example hippocampal sclerosis Then positron emission tomography identifies seizure loci with the assumption that seizure are associated with increased the blood flow or metabolism during ictal phase and reduced blood flow and metabolism postictally or interictally.