A comparison of waiting times for assessment and epilepsy surgery in two epilepsy centers from Canada and Mexico
Abstract number :
2.329
Submission category :
16. Epidemiology
Year :
2016
Submission ID :
194456
Source :
www.aesnet.org
Presentation date :
12/4/2016 12:00:00 AM
Published date :
Nov 21, 2016, 18:00 PM
Authors :
Jose Francisco Tellez Zenteno, University of Saskatchewan; Funes Bianca, University of Saskatchewan; Julio Moreno-Castellanos, National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery; Iris Martínez-Bustos, National Autonomous University of Mexico and Mexico's Na
Rationale: ES remains one of the most underused of all current medical interventions. In the United States, it is estimated that less than 1% of patients with drug-resistant epilepsy are referred to specialized centers, and less than 5% of eligible patients receive treatment. More concerning is the significant problems of waiting times for assessment. The average delay from onset of seizures to surgical procedures is 20 years among adults and 10 years among children Methods: We compare the waiting times from the diagnosis of epilepsy till the assessment and epilepsy surgery in two referral centers from Mexico and Canada. Both centers have adequate equipment and manpower to provide epilepsy surgery. Results: Waiting times for assessment of 76 cases from the Epilepsy Program of the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery (NINN) in Mexico City and 70 cases from the Epilepsy program of the province of Saskatchewan (SEP), Canada were compared. Patients where assessed in the same period of time (between 2007 and 2015). Mean age of patients at the NINN was 37.4+9 years vs 42.2+13 in the SEP. The times from the diagnosis to the referral to the NINN was 20 and 16 years at the SEP (p 0.27), to the first consult with the epileptologist 237 vs. 208 months (p < .001), to the neuropsychology consult 257 vs 201 months (p 0.027), to the video-EEG telemetry 256 vs 219 months (p 0.09), to the first consult to neurosurgery 262 vs 227 months (p 0.29) and finally to the epilepsy surgery was 280 vs 238 months (p 0.29). Conclusions: This the first study comparing waiting times between two countries with different economical characteristics and health systems. Our study shows similar waiting times in both centers suggesting that the problems is not specific from a country and also iit is not related with the economical development of the country. This study provides strong foundation for futures studies in order to understand barriers of acces for epilepsy surgery. Funding: Dr. Tellez-Zenteno receives grants from the University of Saskatchewan, the Royal University Hospital Foundation in Saskatoon and the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation
Epidemiology