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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · International Journal of Epilepsy 2023; 09(01/02): 002-006
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1788263
Original Article

Clinical Semiology and Comparative Analysis of Different Classification Systems of Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures

Authors

  • Midhun Mohan   *

    1   Department of Neurology, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

  • Dinkar Kulshreshtha   *

    1   Department of Neurology, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

  • Abdul Qavi

    1   Department of Neurology, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

  • Pradeep Kumar Maurya

    1   Department of Neurology, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

  • Vijayavarman Vijayaragavan

    1   Department of Neurology, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

  • Ajai Kumar Singh

    1   Department of Neurology, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

Funding None.
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Abstract

Objective Only a few studies have compared the different classification systems of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNESs). A universally acceptable classification system for PNES will aid in the early diagnosis and may lead to better standardization for future studies. This study aimed to describe the clinical semiology and provide comparative analysis of PNES classification systems described by Hubsch et al, Wadwekar et al, Dhiman et al, and Asadi-Pooya.

Methods Prospectively, patients provisionally diagnosed clinically as PNES were confirmed on video electroencephalography and their semiology was classified according to the classification systems mentioned earlier. Patients were additionally evaluated for coexisting anxiety or depression using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition criteria and its severity assessed using Hamilton's depression/anxiety rating scales.

Results A total of 104 PNES patients were included in the study. Mean age at presentation was 24.5 ± 10.4 years with females as the predominant proportion (76.9%). Whole body flaccidity was the commonest clinical presentation of PNES seen in 60.58% cases. All PNES cases could be classified using the Asadi-Pooya's classification, while 8.7, 47.1, and 53.8% PNES events remained unclassified, respectively, using the classification system as described by Dhiman et al, Wadwekar et al, and Hubsch et al; 33(31.73%) PNES patients had depression and 8 (7.7%) had generalized anxiety disorder in our study.

Conclusion Nonmotor manifestations were the most frequent semiology in our cohort. Of the PNES classification systems studied, Asadi-Pooya's classification was easier to apply and could classify all the patients in the study.

Keywords

psychogenic - nonepileptic - seizures

* These authors have contributed equally to this work.




Publication History

Article published online:
14 August 2024

© 2024. Indian Epilepsy Society. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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