We first performed an observational study of qEEG results on eight infants with facial PW birthmark (four had SWS brain involvement). We recorded standard clinical EEGs and then derived a measure of asymmetry. We subsequently validated this threshold through a study of an additional nine infants with PW birthmark (five with SWS brain involvement).
Quantitative EEG correctly identified infants with SWS brain involvement in all cases in the Validation cohort. This technique was at least as good as a pediatric electroencephalographer with extensive experience reading SWS EEGs.
This study demonstrates the ability for qEEG to discriminate between those infants with SWS brain involvement and those with neurologically asymptomatic PW birthmark.
This study represents an important step toward the development of a qEEG technique able to predict which infants with PW birthmark will develop SWS brain involvement.