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Safety of EEG Methodology in Photosensitivity

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The Importance of Photosensitivity for Epilepsy

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Abstract

Intermittent photic stimulation in the clinical EEG setting may provide useful information in two ways, first by provoking epileptiform discharges referred to as photoparoxysmal responses and second, it may trigger epileptic seizures and psychogenic non-epileptic attacks. The aim is to gain electrographic data without triggering generalized tonic-clonic seizures, which is the only seizure type likely to have potential medical risks. Therefore the use of photic stimulation involves a careful balancing of the safety benefits to the patient of accurate diagnostic information, versus the safety risks of generalized tonic-clonic seizures. In this chapter, we review the evidence from unselected patient cohorts referred for EEG on the incidence of generalized tonic-clonic seizures evoked by intermittent photic stimulation, balanced against the incidence of useful information obtained, before providing practical suggestions on how the safety of EEG methodology in photosensitivity can be optimized.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK

    Kimberley Whitehead

  2. Arkansas Epilepsy Program, Little Rock, AR, USA

    Victor Biton

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  1. Kimberley Whitehead
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  2. Victor Biton
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Correspondence to Kimberley Whitehead .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery and Epilepsy, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Dorothee Kasteleijn-Nolst Trenite

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Whitehead, K., Biton, V. (2021). Safety of EEG Methodology in Photosensitivity. In: Kasteleijn-Nolst Trenite, D. (eds) The Importance of Photosensitivity for Epilepsy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05080-5_28

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05080-5_28

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