Key result
Over-reading normal EEGs as abnormal is a major contributor to the misdiagnosis of epilepsy, primarily driven by a lack of mandatory training and standards for neurologists.
Highlights the critical need for standardized EEG training and confirmatory readings to prevent life-changing misdiagnoses of epilepsy.
The misdiagnosis of epilepsy is common and has very serious consequences. It is in fact a life-changing diagnosis. A major contributor to the misdiagnosis of epi-lepsy is the tendency to over-read normal tracings as abnormal. In fact, the wrong diagnosis of seizures is sometimes based solely on the ‘abnormal’ EEG. Reasons for the common overinterpretation of normal EEGs are mostly related to the lack of stan-dards or mandatory training in EEG, and the erroneous assumption that all neurolo-gists are trained to read EEGs. Potential solutions include defining and ensuring EEG competency for neurologists who read EEGs and providing a confirmatory reading by an EEGer, as is done for ECGs.
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Selim R. Benbadis (2010) conducted an editorial in Epilepsy. Over-reading normal EEGs as abnormal is a major contributor to the misdiagnosis of epilepsy, primarily driven by a lack of mandatory training and standards for neurologists.
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