Role of Long Term Video-Electroencephalography Monitoring (VEM) in Diagnosis of Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy

Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy (JME) is a generalized epileptic syndrome. Age of onset is usually between 12 to 18 years. JME consists of myoclonic jerks, generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCs) and typical absence attacks. EEG shows characteristic changes in JME. Long term video-electroencephalography monitoring (VEM) is a helpful diagnostic procedure in the diagnosis of patient with unclear history or EEG findings. In the current study, we aimed to evaluate the role of VEM in diagnosis of refractory epileptic patients.
This study is retrospective and descriptive on patients of Epilepsy Monitoring Unit of Razavi Hospital, Mashhad, Iran between March 2011 and March 2012. Telephone interview was scheduled 6-18 months after discharge to evaluate results of VEM on the frequency of seizures, the therapeutic regimes and patients’ quality of life.
24 cases with diagnosis of JME were chosen among 250 patients who were admitted with refractory epilepsy. Fourteen of them were female. The average age of patients was 24 years old and the average duration of the seizure attacks was 12.97 years. The mean frequency of GTCs was 2.76 attacks per month and after VEM and proper treatment, it decreased to 0.27 attacks per month.
VEM is a helpful diagnostic procedure for evaluating of refractory JME epileptic patients.