From Clinical Misdiagnosis to Electrophysiological Diagnosis

Abstract

Differential diagnosis of epilepsy and syncope may be difficult. Arrhythmias such as asystole, or ventricular fibrillation, may lead to cerebral hypoperfusion mimicking partial or secondary generalized tonic–clonic seizures. While performing an electroencephalogram (EEG) for epilepsy diagnosis, simultaneous electrocardiogram (ECG) recording may detect cardiac pathology. In this article, through 2 cases, who had cardiac asystole during the EEG, we demonstrate the importance of ECG during EEG. To rule out cardiac pathology in syncope cases, all necessary investigations must be done.