VIDEO: EEG monitoring may not show psychogenic nonepileptic seizure activity

In a video interview with Healio, Lyons Hardy, MS, RN, P-MHNP, discussed a presentation on psychogenic nonepileptic seizures, or PNES, given at the American Psychiatric Nurses Association Annual Conference.

The presenters reported evidence showing that the electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring doesn’t always pick up deep seizures, especially in the frontal lobe, according to Hardy, clinical assistant professor and concentration lead of the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing.

“I thought that was pretty interesting because people may be diagnosed with PNES and it’s considered to be something that they need psychotherapy for, they need to work through their emotional problems, and it may actually be that they have seizure activity going on,” Hardy said. “I’m going to take-away from that just looking more closely at those patients and getting them a thorough work-up.”