Epilepsy diagnosis

When a diagnosis of epilepsy is suspected, usual practice is to refer the patient to an expert to confirm the diagnosis and consider long-term therapy.

Epilepsy is a clinical diagnosis that relies primarily on a description of the seizures. An eyewitness account or video can exclude other causes of loss of consciousness (eg syncope). Electroencephalography (EEG) can support the diagnosis, but a normal EEG does not exclude a diagnosis of epilepsy, nor does an abnormal EEG necessarily confirm the diagnosis. Brain imaging, especially magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), is often useful in revealing the cause, but cannot confirm the diagnosis, which remains clinical.