The tendency to have psychogenic non-epileptic attacks out of camera view during long-term video-EEG monitoring

The aim of this study was to compare out of camera view seizure occurrence rates between psychogenic non-epileptic and epileptic seizures during long-term video-EEG monitoring. From 1996 to 2001, 208 adult patients were monitored in 212 sessions, and 196 patients were included in the study. Depending on video-EEG recordings and witnessed accounts, 18 of the patients had no seizures recorded, 160 had epileptic seizures and 18 had psychogenic non-epileptic seizures, four of whom had psychogenic non-epileptic seizures plus true epileptic seizures. Six hundred and ninety two seizures were recorded; 634 of them were epileptic seizures and 58 of them, psychogenic non-epileptic ones. Out of camera attack occurrence was significantly higher in patients with psychogenic non-epileptic attacks compared with epileptic ones (chi-square with Yates correction = 19.75, df = 1, P< 0.001).