The morphologic characteristic of an IED is a very sharp rise time, a complex waveform with several phases or baseline crossings, and an after-going slow-wave discharge that disrupts the continuity of the background rhythm. Epileptiform discharge (interictal discharges IEDs) is a term to describe EEG patterns that are associated with a high risk of having seizures. The most indicative diagnostic finding to support the diagnosis of epilepsy is the presence of interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs). EEG used in a patient with epilepsy may demonstrate generalized or focal slow activity of the background. To localize the epileptic zone, it is important to have an EEG recording. The characteristic finding of the epileptiform discharge is rarely recorded in healthy, young individuals. Examples of epilepsy syndromes are West syndrome, childhood absence epilepsy, and Dravet syndrome.ĮEG is the method that specifically defines the epileptogenic cortex. Features that are important in epilepsy syndromes are age, seizure triggers, comorbidities such as psychiatric and intellectual dysfunction, combined with specific findings on electroencephalography (EEG) and imaging studies. The term epilepsy syndrome is to describe a condition that incorporates clinical features, EEG/seizure type, and imaging as a prognosticate treatment response and clinical course. Epilepsy is a condition where there are at least two seizures (unprovoked) that occur in more than 24 hours apart.
