Comprehensive Literature Review on Focal Epilepsies and EEG Findings: Methodology and Selection Criteria

The passage describes the methodology used in a literature review on focal epilepsies and electroencephalographic (EEG) findings. Two independent researchers conducted a search using Pubmed and Medline descriptors from January 20th to May 30th, 2020. They used various combinations of keywords related to focal epilepsy and EEG. The search was limited to articles written in English or Spanish. A total of 1223 articles were collected, but 1063 of them did not report EEG descriptive findings in focal epilepsies and were excluded. The remaining 160 articles contained data related to EEG. Eleven articles written in a language other than English or Spanish were also excluded. The researchers then carefully reviewed the methodology of the remaining 149 papers. Only articles with more than 10 subjects, including case series, previous reviews on focal epileptic syndromes, ILAE task force positions, and those that provided adequate descriptions of electrode positions, montage, activation maneuvers, videorecording, and/or electromyography electrodes were included in the review. In the end, 69 articles met the inclusion criteria. Both researchers read and analyzed the selected articles, resolving any disagreements through consensus.