Psychogenic Nonepileptic Spells

The objective of our study was to emphasize the importance of intensive video EEG monitoring in patients with a well-established diagnosis of epilepsy with moderate cognitive impairment. The idea was to diagnose new onset frequent atypical events prompting the need for frequent emergency room and clinic visits and hospital admissions. Retrospective chart reviews were conducted on patients with chronic epilepsy with moderate cognitive impairment who had an increased incidence of new onset episodes different from the baseline seizures...

Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures have long been known by many names. A short list includes hysteroepilepsy, hysterical seizures, pseudoseizures, nonepileptic events, nonepileptic spells, nonepileptic seizures, and psychogenic nonepileptic attacks. These events are typically misdiagnosed for years and are frequently treated as electrographic seizures and epilepsy. These patients experience all the side effects of antiepileptic drugs and none of the benefits. Video electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring is the gold standard diagnostic test that can make a clear distinction between psychogenic nonepileptic seizures and epilepsy...

Psychogenic nonepileptic spells (PNES) are frequently challenging to differentiate from epileptic seizures. The experience of panic attack symptoms during an event may assist in distinguishing PNES from seizures secondary to epilepsy. A retrospective analysis of 354 patients diagnosed with PNES (N=224) or with epilepsy (N=130) investigated the thirteen Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-IV-Text Revision panic attack criteria endorsed by the two groups. We found a statistically higher mean number of symptoms reported by patients with PNES compared with those with epilepsy...

Patients with epilepsy caused by mid-grade and high-grade tumors do not usually undergo formal presurgical epilepsy evaluations before tumor resection. However, a minority of these patients may benefit significantly from just such a structured presurgical evaluation especially when seizure freedom or seizure reduction is a surgical aim in addition to total tumor resection. Typical cases comprise patients with multifocal tumors, tumors with bilateral extension, tumors over eloquent cortex, and the need for differentiation of spells of an uncertain nature, for example, epileptic versus psychogenic nonepileptic seizures...

Differentiating between psychogenic nonepileptic spells (PNES) and epileptic seizures without video-EEG monitoring is difficult. The presence of specific medical comorbidities may discriminate the two, helping physicians suspect PNES over epilepsy earlier. A retrospective analysis comparing the medical comorbidities of patients with PNES with those of patients with epilepsy was performed in 280 patients diagnosed with either PNES (N = 158, 74.7% females) or epilepsy (N = 122, 46.7% females) in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center over a two-year period...

Epilepsy is a chronic medical condition which is disabling to both patients and caregivers. The differential diagnosis of epilepsy includes psychogenic nonepileptic spells or "pseudoseizures." Epilepsy is due to abnormal electrical activity in the brain, and pseudoseizure is a form of conversion disorder. The brain waves remain normal in pseudoseizures. The problem arises when a patient with significant psychiatric history presents with seizures. Pseudoseizures become high on the differential diagnosis without extensive work up...

We aimed to determine the types and clinical characteristics of paroxysmal nonepileptic events (PNEs) in children. During a 13-year period, 765 patients underwent long-term video-EEG monitoring, and 95 (12.4%) of them were identified to have PNEs. The most common diagnoses were conversion disorder, parasomnias, staring spells, movement disorders, and hypnic jerks. Paroxysmal nonepileptic events originated from physiologic or organic (43.2%) and psychogenic (56.8%) causes. Mean delay in diagnosis was 3.1 years...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: : The neurologic consultant is frequently called to evaluate the patient with transient neurologic deficits, or spells. Spells can present with a broad array of clinical features, making a systematic evaluation challenging. Familiarity with a variety of key features for different spell types will help the consultant create an appropriate differential diagnosis to guide the diagnostic evaluation. RECENT FINDINGS: : Recent practice parameters outline the appropriate evaluation for patients presenting with first unprovoked seizure, and an update in the International League Against Epilepsy classification scheme for seizures has shifted the terminology used to describe these spells...

The influence of gender on psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) diagnosis was examined retrospectively in 439 subjects undergoing video-EEG (vEEG) for spell classification, of whom 142 women and 42 men had confirmed PNES. The epileptologist's predicted diagnosis was correct in 72% overall. Confirmed epilepsy was correctly predicted in 94% men and 88% women. In contrast, confirmed PNES was accurately predicted in 86% women versus 61% men (p=0.003). Sex-based differences in likelihood of an indeterminate admission were not observed for predicted epilepsy or physiologic events, but were for predicted PNES (39% men, 12% women, p=0...

OBJECTIVES: Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) are frequently encountered in epilepsy monitoring units (EMU) and can result in significant long-term disability. We reviewed our experience with veterans undergoing seizure evaluation in the EMU to determine the time delay to diagnosis of PNES, the frequency of PNES, and cumulative antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment. We compared veterans with PNES to civilians with PNES studied in the same EMU. METHODS: We reviewed records of all patients admitted to one Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) EMU over a 10-year interval...

OBJECTIVE: Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) are common paroxysmal events that mimic and can often be misdiagnosed as epileptic seizures. PNES account for 10 to 40% of patients referred to epilepsy centers. Patients with uncontrolled PNES are at times subjected to vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) implantation. We report a series of such referred patients studied with video/EEG monitoring at our institution. METHODS: We evaluated patients who were implanted with a VNS by their primary neurologist for refractory seizures and who were referred to the Vanderbilt University epilepsy monitoring unit for a second opinion...

The misdiagnosis of epilepsy may occur from the misinterpretation of a routine scalp EEG. Typically, interictal epileptiform discharges are misidentified on EEGs because of the overinterpretation of normal variants or variations in normal electrocerebral activity. Most reports of misinterpretation have arisen from patients diagnosed with psychogenic nonepileptic attacks using in-patient video-EEG monitoring. However, because seizures are rarely captured in the routine performance of EEG in the outpatient setting, ictal overinterpretation is much less likely to occur...

There are few published population-based data for psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES). We prospectively identified first presentations of PNES from a population of 367,566, over 3 years. PNES were diagnosed in 68 patients, in 54 of whom the diagnosis was confirmed by video/EEG recording, indicating an incidence of 4.90/100,000/year. Median diagnostic delay was 0.6 ± 0.2 year. At presentation with PNES, our patients already had high rates of psychological morbidity, medically unexplained symptoms other than PNES, and economic dependence...

Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES; also known as pseudoseizures, nonepileptic attack disorder) are common. They continue to pose diagnostic difficulties, with mean delays from onset to diagnosis of several years, during which time they are often treated as epilepsy. The literature suggests that clinical diagnosis has limited reliability. However, it may be useful to regard the diagnosis of PNES as having two stages-- that of suspecting the diagnosis and that of confirming it. Clinical features of the history and spells allow the diagnosis of PNES to be suspected in the first place, so that the appropriate expertise and tests can be brought to bear...

PURPOSE: To determine whether withdrawal of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in patients with psychogenic nonepileptic attacks (PNEAs) improves outcome. METHODS: Randomized controlled trial of AED withdrawal in patients with PNEAs. Patients were randomized to immediate or delayed (9 months) withdrawal of AEDs. We recorded spell frequency, changes in work status, use of emergency medical services, and psychological status at baseline, 9 months, and 18 months. RESULTS: Of 193 patients screened, 38 fulfilled entry criteria, 13 declined participation, and 25 were randomized...

Interictal epileptiform discharge (IED) is rarely observed in healthy volunteers without a history of seizures, but higher rates of occurrence are reported in children than in adults. Higher rates are also observed among neurologic inpatients and outpatients without a seizure history, but the risk of subsequent unprovoked seizures or epilepsy is low in healthy volunteers and patients. An exception is the patients with autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or cerebral palsy, who are predisposed to epilepsy development...

Epileptic generalized tonic-clonic (GTC) seizures are differentiated from nonepileptic spells primarily by history. The historical features that can aid in making a diagnosis, such as urinary incontinence and tongue biting, are few. One additional piece of information we propose may be of clinical value is the stereotypical "ictal cry." We reviewed audio from 20 consecutive GTC seizures and 20 consecutive psychogenic convulsive nonepileptic spells recorded in our epilepsy monitoring unit. The audio components of the recordings from each group were compared...

OBJECTIVE: To determine short-term outcome and its predictors in patients with psychogenic nonepileptic attacks (PNEA). METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of outcomes relating to attendance at follow-up, spells, use of emergency services, employment, and social security payments recorded at 6 and 12 months post diagnosis in 260 consecutive patients. RESULTS: A total of 187 patients (71.9%) attended at least 1 follow-up visit, and 105 patients (40...

In clinical practice, a classification of seizures based on clinical signs and symptoms leads to an improved understanding of epilepsy-related issues and therefore strongly contributes to a better patient care. The inverse problem involves inferring the anatomical brain localization of a seizure from the scalp surface EEG, a concept we apply here to correlate seizure origin with seizure semiology. The spheres of sensorium, motor features, consciousness changes and autonomic alterations during ictal and postictal manifestations are reviewed, including several subdivisions used to better categorize particular features...

The wrong diagnosis of epilepsy is common. At referral epilepsy centers, psychogenic non-epileptic attacks are by far the most common condition found to have been misdiagnosed as epilepsy, with an average delay of 7-10 years. There are many "red flags" that can raise the suspicion of psychogenic non-epileptic attacks. Syncope is the second most common condition misdiagnosed as epilepsy, and it is probably more common in outpatient populations. Other conditions more rarely misdiagnosed as epilepsy include hypoglycemia, panic attacks, paroxysmal movement disorders, paroxysmal sleep disorders, TIAs, migraines, and TGA...