Less than one per cent of the population has epilepsy, but getting a diagnosis is not always easy. The diagnostic process starts after the first seizure and includes an electroencephalogram (EEG) to record brain activity. This recording may show abnormal brain activity that is characteristic of epilepsy. Every recording must be carefully reviewed by a trained expert. Itâs a time-consuming process, where human mistakes can happen, and experts are not always available. Thatâs why a team from the University of Twente and Medisch Spectrum Twente developed AI software that helps speed up the diagnostic process.
Finding a needle in a haystack
The duration of a routine EEG is about 20 minutes, but more reliable diagnostics are possible with recordings that last up to 24 hours or even three days. Every recording is reviewed by a human expert who browses the data, which is quite time-consuming: for a 24-hour recording, this amounts to up to 3 hours of manual work. âThe abnormal events we are looking for, the so-called interictal epileptiform discharges, are essentially the electrical signatures of epilepsy. They are typically quite short, around 100-300 milliseconds, and may occur only rarely. It is like looking for a needle in a haystack,â says Michel van Putten, neurologist and clinical neurophysiologist at Medisch Spectrum Twente. âYou know there might be abnormal brain activity, but you donât know when and where: You have to look through the whole recording.â
Together with Maryam Amir Haeri, associate professor at the University of Twente, Van Putten is working on two closely connected projects to change this reality: AI4EPI and ALICE. Their research uses artificial intelligence to assist experts in EEG diagnostics for epilepsy and make the process faster and more efficient.
More informationÂ
Check the website.Â