Abstract

GONZALEZ DE GUEVARA, Lucía  and  GUEVARA CAMPOS, José. Utilidad de la electroencefalografía en las epilepsias y síndromes epilépticos de la infancia. Arch Venez Puer Ped [online]. 2007, vol.70, n.2, pp.59-68. ISSN 0004-0649.

The utility of the electroencephalogram (EEG) in handling childhood epilepsies and epileptic syndromes was reviewed as a diagnosis and prognosis tool in the patient with epileptic crisis. Correlations were stablished between clinical manifestations, age of onset, frequency, prognosis and electroencephalographic characteristics of the layouts of each one of the different types. EEG is extremely useful in neurosciences; since it is the only instrument that we have to assess the brain´s function in real time, that is to say, at the scale of milliseconds. Although in the last decade a spectacular development of neuroimages and functional techniques has taken place, as with computerized axial tomography (CAT), cerebral magnetic resonance (MR) with its fuctional variants, positron emission tomography (PET), photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) and magnetoencephalography (MEG), the arrival of those techniques has not been able to relegate EEG to a secondary place. The utility of the EEG depends on an adequate evaluation that will lead to valid conclusions. The accuracy of this evaluation is related to the ability, training and experience of the operator. The EEG contributes to the definite diagnosis in many of childhood epilepsies and epileptic syndromes.

Keywords : Electroencephalogram (EEG); Seizures.