The diagnosis of epilepsy is based on the clinical description of the seizures and the electroencephalogram (EEG), which measures the electrical activity of the brain by means of electrodes placed on the scalp. The EEG can be used to determine whether it is focal or generalized epilepsy.
A neurologist can follow a patient for 30 years in consultation without ever having seen one of his seizures. In the Epileptology Unit we record the seizure using EEG/video monitoring to try to trace the origin and trajectory of this seizure in the brain.
Diagnosis of epilepsy
In some cases, 24-hour continuous recording of the EEG coupled with video is essential for formal diagnosis and therapeutic management.
When a diagnosis of focal epilepsy is made, it is essential to carry out magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in order to look for a possible brain injury causing the epileptic syndrome.
When epilepsy is focal, and persists despite adapted medications, and no lesions are identified on MRI, it may be necessary to explore the brain, with intracerebral electrodes, to record EEG in cortical generators.
