The usefulness of electroencephalograms in a survey of children from the Western cape of South Africa
| Autor: | Jo M. Wilmshurst, Gillian Riordan, Kirsty Donald, Veena Kander |
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| Rok vydání: | 2011 |
| Předmět: |
Male
medicine.medical_specialty Referral Adolescent MEDLINE Context (language use) Pilot Projects Electroencephalography Pediatrics Epilepsy South Africa mental disorders medicine Humans Psychiatry Child Retrospective Studies medicine.diagnostic_test business.industry Infant Newborn Infant Retrospective cohort study medicine.disease Brain Waves Health Surveys Family medicine Child Preschool Pediatrics Perinatology and Child Health Epilepsy syndromes Western cape Female Neurology (clinical) Nervous System Diseases business |
| Zdroj: | Journal of child neurology. 27(5) |
| ISSN: | 1708-8283 |
| Popis: | There are few dedicated pediatric neurophysiology services in Africa. Optimizing the efficiency of these units is essential for the large populations they serve. Two hundred eighty-seven electroencephalogram (EEG) studies, performed in a sub-Saharan neurophysiology unit, were analyzed for referral sources, appropriateness of referral, reporting consistency, and use in confirming epilepsy or a neurologic process. Pediatric neurologists requested 24% of the electroencephalogram studies and pediatricians 45%. Pediatric neurologists requested more appropriate referrals than pediatricians or nonspecialists. The electroencephalogram studies assisted management in 40% of cases. Electroencephalogram studies for nonepileptic indications, such as syncope, were highly predictable and typically normal. Education and training in the management of children with epilepsy could improve requesting practice and the subsequent usefulness of electroencephalograms in the diagnosis of epilepsy syndromes. This is especially important in the context of a resource-poor country. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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