Periodic discharges with triphasic morphology: a differential diagnosis and therapeutic approaches

Abstract

The article presents two clinical cases of intensive care unit (ICU) patients with periodic discharges. Examination according to the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society (ACNS) protocol with the use of electroencephalography and functional probes allows differential diagnosis of periodic discharges, which makes it possible to conduct early pathophysiological treatment, to assess its effectiveness in dynamics and to avoid unjustified prescription of antiepileptic drugs. At the same time, the prognosis of the disease and the effectiveness of treatment are largely determined by the etiology of the disease. Evaluation of periodic discharges of three-phase morphology in ICU, considering its nosological nonspecificity, is rational to carry out according to the ACNS recommendations, indicating the ictal genesis, background activity, response to antiepileptic drugs.

Keywords

• periodic discharges of three-phase morphology
• antiepileptic drugs
• electroencephalography in critically ill patients
• creutzfeldt–jakob disease