Question

What tests are needed to diagnose epilepsy?

Answer

The diagnosis of epilepsy involves both diagnosis and examination. To differentiate it from conditions such as fainting, pseudo-epileptic seizures, narcolepsy, and hypoglycemia, it is necessary to distinguish based on electroencephalograms (EEGs), medical history, symptoms, and signs. Here are three methods of examination for diagnosing epilepsy:

  1. Lumbar puncture (CSF) examination, which may reveal changes.
  2. If epilepsy is secondary, further examinations such as cranial CT, cranial MRI, MRA, DSA should be conducted to find the corresponding lesions.
  3. Electroencephalogram (EEG), Brain Electrical Activity Mapping (BEAM), and Holter-type dynamic EEG monitoring: may show clear pathological waves, spike waves, sharp waves, spike-slow waves, or sharp-slow waves.