Clinical diagnoses and EEG interpretation.

A sample of 62 electroencephalographers in the United States evaluated 10-second samples of eight electroencephalograms. The evaluations were performed with and without knowledge of the clinical history. Evaluations consisted of multiple choice questions related to electroencephalographic observations, clinical diagnosis, and requests for additional tests such as computerized tomography and cerebrospinal fluid studies. The results indicate that clinical history influences interpretation, with considerable variation among readers in the number and type of additional tests requested.