Wesley T Kerr1, Xingruo Zhang2, Chloe E Hill3, Emily A Janio4, Andrea M Chau4, Chelsea T Braesch4, Justine M Le4, Jessica M Hori4, Akash B Patel4, Corinne H Allas5, Amir H Karimi5, Ishita Dubey5, Siddhika S Sreenivasan5, Norma L Gallardo4, Janar Bauirjan2, Eric S Hwang4, Emily C Davis4, Shannon R D'Ambrosio4, Mona Al Banna2, Andrew Y Cho4, Sandra R Dewar2, Jerome Engel6, Jamie D Feusner4, John M Stern2. 1. Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States. Electronic address: WesleyTK@g.UCLA.edu. 2. Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States. 3. Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States. 4. Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States. 5. Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States. 6. Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Brain Research Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
Abstract
PURPOSE: While certain clinical factors suggest a diagnosis of dissociative seizures (DS), otherwise known as functional or psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES), ictal video-electroencephalography monitoring (VEM) is the gold standard for diagnosis. Diagnostic delays were associated with worse quality of life and more seizures, even after treatment. To understand why diagnoses were delayed, we evaluated which factors were associated with delay to VEM. METHODS: Using data from 341 consecutive patients with VEM-documented dissociative seizures, we used multivariate log-normal regression with recursive feature elimination (RFE) and multiple imputation of some missing data to evaluate which of 76 clinical factors were associated with time from first dissociative seizure to VEM. RESULTS: The mean delay to VEM was 8.4 years (median 3 years, IQR 1-10 years). In the RFE multivariate model, the factors associated with longer delay to VEM included more past antiseizure medications (0.19 log-years/medication, standard error (SE) 0.05), more medications for other medical conditions (0.06 log-years/medication, SE 0.03), history of physical abuse (0.75 log-years, SE 0.27), and more seizure types (0.36 log-years/type, SE 0.11). Factors associated with shorter delay included active employment or student status (-1.05 log-years, SE 0.21) and higher seizure frequency (0.14 log-years/log[seizure/month], SE 0.06). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with greater medical and seizure complexity had longer delays. Delays in multiple domains of healthcare can be common for victims of physical abuse. Unemployed and non-student patients may have had more barriers to access VEM. These results support earlier referral of complex cases to a comprehensive epilepsy center.
PURPOSE: While certain clinical factors suggest a diagnosis of dissociative seizures (DS), otherwise known as functional or psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES), ictal video-electroencephalography monitoring (VEM) is the gold standard for diagnosis. Diagnostic delays were associated with worse quality of life and more seizures, even after treatment. To understand why diagnoses were delayed, we evaluated which factors were associated with delay to VEM. METHODS: Using data from 341 consecutive patients with VEM-documented dissociative seizures, we used multivariate log-normal regression with recursive feature elimination (RFE) and multiple imputation of some missing data to evaluate which of 76 clinical factors were associated with time from first dissociative seizure to VEM. RESULTS: The mean delay to VEM was 8.4 years (median 3 years, IQR 1-10 years). In the RFE multivariate model, the factors associated with longer delay to VEM included more past antiseizure medications (0.19 log-years/medication, standard error (SE) 0.05), more medications for other medical conditions (0.06 log-years/medication, SE 0.03), history of physical abuse (0.75 log-years, SE 0.27), and more seizure types (0.36 log-years/type, SE 0.11). Factors associated with shorter delay included active employment or student status (-1.05 log-years, SE 0.21) and higher seizure frequency (0.14 log-years/log[seizure/month], SE 0.06). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with greater medical and seizure complexity had longer delays. Delays in multiple domains of healthcare can be common for victims of physical abuse. Unemployed and non-student patients may have had more barriers to access VEM. These results support earlier referral of complex cases to a comprehensive epilepsy center.
Authors: Patrick Kwan; Alexis Arzimanoglou; Anne T Berg; Martin J Brodie; W Allen Hauser; Gary Mathern; Solomon L Moshé; Emilio Perucca; Samuel Wiebe; Jacqueline French Journal: Epilepsia Date: 2009-11-03 Impact factor: 5.864
Authors: Gustavo Saposnik; Donald Redelmeier; Christian C Ruff; Philippe N Tobler Journal: BMC Med Inform Decis Mak Date: 2016-11-03 Impact factor: 2.796
Authors: Laura H Goldstein; Emily J Robinson; John D C Mellers; Jon Stone; Alan Carson; Markus Reuber; Nick Medford; Paul McCrone; Joanna Murray; Mark P Richardson; Izabela Pilecka; Carole Eastwood; Michele Moore; Iris Mosweu; Iain Perdue; Sabine Landau; Trudie Chalder Journal: Lancet Psychiatry Date: 2020-05-20 Impact factor: 27.083