Abstracts

To assess the interest of electroencephalographic recording (EEG) using television sets (TV) and video tape sequences for predicting the risk of television-induced seizures in photosensitive epileptic patients.
We studied 41 photosensitive epileptic patients with generalized photoparoxysmal responses (PPR) during intermittent light stimulation. Twenty two (group 1) had a history of television induced-seizures. Nineteen (group 2) never experienced seizure while watching television (9/19 had seizures induced by other visual stimuli than television and 10/19 had no visually-induced seizures). The video tape sequences were presented on a 50Hz TV screen. EEG-video recordings were performed to obtain correlations between each video tape sequences and PPR. The video tape was made of 4 sequences previously demonstrated as epileptogenic. The first is charaterized by a moving pattern, the second by a high rate of contrast with moving objects, the third by a moving colored picture and the fourth by a stroboscopic effect.
Electroencephalographic activation by at least one of the 4 sequences was obtained in 30/41 patients without difference between the two groups: PPR were obtained in 14/22 in group 1 and 16/19 in group 2. However, sequence 2 induced PPR in 7/22 in group 1 but 0/19 in group 2 (p[lt]0,001).
Specific laboratory testings using TV sets and video tape might be usefull to predict the risk of television-induced seizures in photosensitive epileptic patients. However specific video tape with high brightness and contrast pictures seems to be the most relevant to predict television-induced seizures.