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Use, experience and perspectives of high-density EEG among Italian epilepsy centers: a national survey

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Abstract

Introduction

High-density EEG (hdEEG) is a validated tool in presurgical evaluation of people with epilepsy. The aim of this national survey is to estimate diffusion and knowledge of hdEEG to develop a network among Italian epilepsy centers.

Methods

A survey of 16 items (and 15 additional items) was distributed nationwide by email to all members of the Italian League Against Epilepsy and the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results

A total of 104 respondents were collected from 85 centers, 82% from the Centre-North of Italy; 27% of the respondents had a hdEEG. The main applications were for epileptogenic focus characterization in the pre-surgical evaluation (35%), biomarker research (35%) and scientific activity (30%). The greatest obstacles to hdEEG were economic resources (35%), acquisition of dedicated personnel (30%) and finding expertise (17%). Dissemination was limited by difficulties in finding expertise and dedicated personnel (74%) more than buying devices (9%); 43% of the respondents have already published hdEEG data, and 91% of centers were available to participate in multicenter hdEEG studies, helping in both pre-processing and analysis. Eighty-nine percent of respondents would be interested in referring patients to centers with established experience for clinical and research purposes.

Conclusions

In Italy, hdEEG is mainly used in third-level epilepsy centers for research and clinical purposes. HdEEG diffusion is limited not only by costs but also by lack of trained personnel. Italian centers demonstrated a high interest in educational initiatives on hdEEG as well as in clinical and research collaborations.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Author information

Author notes

  1. Bruna Nucera and Marco Perulli contributed equally.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Hospital of Merano (SABES-ASDAA), Franz Tappeiner Hospital, Via Rossini, 5-39012, Merano, Italy

    Bruna Nucera

  2. Paracelsus Medical University, 5020, Salzburg, Austria

    Bruna Nucera

  3. Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy

    Marco Perulli

  4. Department of Neuroscience, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy

    Marco Perulli

  5. Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Lara Alvisi & Francesca Bisulli

  6. IRCCS Istituto Delle Scienze Neurologiche Di Bologna, Epilepsy Center, (full member of the European Reference Network EpiCARE), Bologna, Italy

    Lara Alvisi & Francesca Bisulli

  7. Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Conegliano, Treviso, Italy

    Paolo Bonanni

  8. Department of Diagnostic and Technology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy

    Laura Canafoglia & Alice Granvillano

  9. Department of Engineering for Innovation Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy

    Gaetano Cantalupo

  10. UOC Di Neuropsichiatria Infantile, AOUI Di Verona (full member of the European Reference Network EpiCARE), Verona, Italy

    Gaetano Cantalupo

  11. Centro Ricerca Per Le Epilessie in Età Pediatrica (CREP), AOUI Di Verona, Verona, Italy

    Gaetano Cantalupo

  12. Regional Epilepsy Centre, Great Metropolitan “Bianchi-Melacrino-Morelli Hospital”, Reggio Calabria, Italy

    Edoardo Ferlazzo

  13. Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy

    Edoardo Ferlazzo

  14. Department of Human Neurosciences, Umberto I Polyclinic, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy

    Oriano Mecarelli

  15. Neurology Unit, OCB Hospital, AOU Modena, Modena, Italy

    Stefano Meletti

  16. Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Science, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy

    Stefano Meletti

  17. Epilepsy Center, Neurology Unit, Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, and Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria “Maggiore Della Carità”, Novara, Italy

    Gionata Strigaro

  18. Epilepsy Center, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy

    Elena Tartara

  19. Unit of Neurology, Neurophysiology, Neurobiology, Department of Medicine, University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome, Via Álvaro del Portillo, 21, 00128, Rome, Italy

    Giovanni Assenza

Authors
  1. Bruna Nucera
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  2. Marco Perulli
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  3. Lara Alvisi
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  4. Francesca Bisulli
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  9. Alice Granvillano
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  14. Giovanni Assenza
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bruna Nucera.

Ethics declarations

Ethical approval and consent to participate

All subjects gave their informed consent for inclusion in the study and to the use of the data for research and scientific publication purposes. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

This material is the authors’ own original work, which has not been previously published elsewhere. The paper is not currently being considered for publication elsewhere. The paper properly credits the meaningful contributions of co-authors and co-researchers. The results are appropriately placed in the context of prior and existing research. All authors have been personally and actively involved in substantial work leading to the paper and will take public responsibility for its content.

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Nucera, B., Perulli, M., Alvisi, L. et al. Use, experience and perspectives of high-density EEG among Italian epilepsy centers: a national survey. Neurol Sci 45, 1625–1634 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-023-07159-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-023-07159-z

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