Home videos help doctors diagnose epilepsy: AIIMS study

New Delhi : Doctors are better able to identify epilepsy type using home videos of people having epileptic seizures, according to a study conducted by AIIMS.

The study was conducted on 340 patients. The family members or carers of 312 of them brought home videos of seizures to the doctors for an analysis.

Researchers analysed the videos and compared them against findings from video electroencephalography (VEEG), a diagnostic technique used use to identify the type of epilepsy or seizures. The study found that the results were almost as accurate as reports of VEEG.

When a patient suffers from an epileptic seizure, the family members, besides providing medical aid, should record a video that can be analysed by doctors treating the patient to determine the type of epilepsy, said Manjari Tripathi, professor in the Department of Neurology at AIIMS.

"The diagnosis depends on the clinical history given by the patients family members. In most cases, they are not able to answer accurately. Recording the seizures help doctors diagnose the epilepsy," she said.