Routine and sleep EEG: Minimum recording standards of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology and the International League Against Epilepsy

This article provides recommendations on the minimum standards for recording routine (standard) and sleep electroencephalography (EEG). The joint working group of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology (IFCN) and the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) developed the standards according to the methodology suggested for epilepsy-related clinical practice guidelines by the Epilepsy Guidelines Working Group. We reviewed the published evidence using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement. The quality of evidence for sleep induction methods was assessed by the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) method. A tool for Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) was used to assess the risk of bias in technical and methodological studies. Where high-quality published evidence was lacking, we used modified Delphi technique to reach expert consensus. The GRADE system was used to formulate the recommendations. The quality of evidence was low or moderate. We formulated 16 consensus-based recommendations for minimum standards for recording routine and sleep EEG. The recommendations comprise the following aspects: indications, technical standards, recording duration, sleep induction, and provocative methods.(c) 2023 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology, Inc. and International League Against Epi-lepsy. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This article provides recommendations on the minimum standards for recording routine (standard) and sleep electroencephalography (EEG). The standards were developed by a joint working group of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology (IFCN) and the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) using systematic review, expert consensus, and the GRADE system. The article formulates 16 consensus-based recommendations covering indications, technical standards, recording duration, sleep induction, and provocative methods for recording routine and sleep EEG.