Overview
Neuronostics plan a prospective multisite trial to determine the clinical utility of BioEP in the context of diagnostic decision making. Neuronostics will use findings from the trial to improve user experience of the Neuronostics platform (the tool which clinicians use to obtain a BioEP score from EEG and the aligned report). The data coming from the trial will also enable Neuronostics to iterate the BioEP algorithms and so improve future performance.
Description
Neuronostics will conduct a two-arm randomised control trial with two groups: (i) Usual Care, (ii) Usual Care + BioEP score and report. In this context, usual care involves clinical/ patient history, eye-witness accounts and any standard tests ordered (electroencephalogram (EEG), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), blood tests etc.). Investigators will recruit adults attending first seizure clinics where there is a suspicion that epilepsy is the causing symptoms and so a first EEG is recommended. Participants will be sourced from 10 sites. The trial duration will be 1 year recruitment, and 2 year follow up period.
Randomisation: Consenting individual patients will be randomly assigned to either Usual Care or Usual Care + BioEP in a 1:1 ratio. Randomisation will be stratified by centre, with eligible and consenting participants allocated in random blocks. The allocation schedule will be generated by the trial statistician, and concealed from the clinicians assessing eligibility and recruiting patients.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria:
- Adult (age 18 and above) presenting with first suspected seizure(s)
- Able to give informed consent
- Patient receives EEG following clinicians' decision to refer for an EEG based on clinical history and seizure description taken during first seizure clinic.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Participants unable to tolerate an EEG test so no EEG data were gathered
- Participants with a known hepatic/renal encephalopathy
- Participants that upon history taking have a clear clinical diagnosis of a physical condition other than epilepsy (e.g. vasovagal syncope)