The Effect of Long-Term Monitoring on the Correction of Medication and Treatment among Patients with Intractable Epilepsy

Abstract

Background: Studies show that a considerable part of intractable epilepsy have psychological cause, and long-term monitoring can separate pseudoseizure from epilepsy. So, this study aimed to detect the effect of long-term monitoring on correction of medication among patients with intractable epilepsy. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, patients treated as intractable epilepsy in Ayatollah Kashani hospital, Isfahan, Iran, during the years 2016-2016 were enrolled. Using long-term monitoring, and according to criteria of this program, pseudoseizure cases were separated from true epilepsy, and medication pattern was corrected in these patients. Findings: 249 patients with intractable epilepsy were studied. According to long-term monitoring, in 65 patients (26.1%), the medication was changed, 75 (30.1%) referred for surgery, 59 (23.7%) referred for further assessment with magnetic resonance imaging (MRL), positron-emission tomography (PET) scan, and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and 50 (20.1) referred to psychologist due to pseudoseizure. Conclusion: Long-term monitoring in patients with intractable epilepsy can help to separate of pseudoseizure from true epilepsy. The efficacy of this method was proved in better diagnosis and improvement of patients with non-epileptic seizure, decreasing treatment costs, and prevention of drug side effects.

Keywords

• Intractable epilepsy
• Patient monitoring
• Seizure