ABSTRACT

Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) are reported in 10-30% of patients who are diagnosed as having refractory seizures referred to epilepsy centers. Many epilepsy centers use some sort of provocative techniques to aid in the diagnosis of PNES. In this study we aimed to determine the value of diagnostic effects of seizure induction methods.

We analyzed retrospectively 66 patients who were suspected as PNES and referred by a clinician to our outpatient EEG laboratory between July 2011- January 2013. Intravenous saline was administered for seizure induction which is a routine seizure induction method used in our laboratory. Follow-up data were gathered by telephone interviews or from patient charts.

PNES were observed in 39 (59.1%) of 66 patients. Twenty-eight patients were thought to have pure PNES. After 3-17 months (mean: 6.9 months) of induction, 27 of 39 patients were either seizure-free or had significiant reduction in seizure frequency.

In this study we conclude that; provocative techniques are useful, cheap and accessible for the diagnosis of PNES. If applied delicately, they may also provide a positive impact on the patient’s self-recognition, and also, the prognostic consequences of the condition.

Keywords: Epilepsy, induction, psychogenic non-epileptic seizure