Non-Epileptic Events in Children: Video-Electroencephalographic Diagnosis and Clinical-Psychiatric Correlations

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.1595225030111

• Palavras-chave: ENEP; Diagnosis; Epidemiology; Comorbidities; Video electroencephalogram;

• Keywords: ENEP; Diagnosis; Epidemiology; Comorbidities; Video electroencephalogram;

• Abstract:

  Introduction: Non-epileptic psychogenic events (NEPE) are a conversion disorder that present as paroxysmal episodes. They are present in 25 to 30% of patients with refractory epilepsy in tertiary epilepsy centers. There is still limited literature on the subject in children, which makes it difficult to approach it clinically and treat it, and can perpetuate related environmental stressors and iatrogenic measures, worsening the prognosis. Therefore, this study sought to better understand this pathology through video-electroencephalographic analysis of children diagnosed with ENEP and clinical-psychiatric correlations, in order to offer a better approach to patients. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was carried out by collecting data the medical records of patients who underwent video EEG at Hospital de Base de São José do Rio Preto between January 2015 and February 2021, aged between 5 and 14 years old, with a survey of the clinical-psychiatric and electroencephalographic aspects of these patients. Results: An incidence of 1.5% was found, with a predominance of females (59.25%) and children over the age of 10 (66.6%). An association between ENEP and epilepsy was found in 22.2% of patients. Of the patients with recorded psychiatric data, 55% had associated psychiatric comorbidities. The provocative test during videoencephalography was necessary for diagnosis in 37% of cases. Conclusion: There is a predominance of ENEP in older children and females and a significant association with epilepsy and psychiatric comorbidities. Provocative testing during the examination is important for more accurate diagnoses. The lack of a clinical history and psychiatric evaluation and records in the medical records made it difficult to analyze them better.