Smartphone videos taken by witnesses could help physicians diagnose epileptic seizures, according to a study published in JAMA Neurology.
“The findings from our study demonstrate ability of patient-generated smartphone videos to predict an inpatient video-[electroencephalogram] diagnosis of epilepsy as well as nonepileptic events in expert hands,” William O. Tatum, DO, neurologist at the Mayo Clinic, told Healio Primary Care. “Furthermore, the use of smartphone videos showed added value to a history and physical examination, especially when motor signs were present.”
Researchers conducted a prospective, masked diagnostic accuracy study at eight academic epilepsy centers in the United States between Aug. 31, 2015, and Aug. 31, 2018. The analysis included 44 patients who volunteered witness-recorded smartphone videos.
The diagnostic performance of smartphone videos was compared with the diagnostic performances of history and physical examinations and video electroencephalogram monitoring (VEM). Ten epilepsy experts and nine senior neurology residents reviewed the smartphone videos.