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Seizure monitoring plays an undeniably important role in diagnosing and managing epileptic seizures. Establishing the frequency and duration of seizures is crucial for assessing the burden of this chronic neurological disease, selecting treatment methods, determining how frequently these methods are applied, and informing short and long-term therapeutic decisions. Over the years, seizure monitoring tools and methods have evolved and become increasingly sophisticated; from home seizure diaries to EEG monitoring to cutting-edge responsive neurostimulation systems. In this article, the various methods of seizure monitoring are reviewed., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2021 European Paediatric Neurology Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Studies in adult and neonatal intensive care units (ICUs) report a high prevalence of epileptic seizures in comatose patients. The prevalence of seizures in pediatric ICUs is variably reported in a few retrospective studies using different electroencephalography (EEG) methods. We aimed to determine prospectively the prevalence of epileptic seizures (clinical and subclinical) in comatose children in the pediatric ICU using continuous video-EEG (v-EEG) monitoring., Methods: We performed v-EEG in consecutive children aged 2 months to 17 years admitted to the pediatric ICU with sustained depressed consciousness over a period of 15 months., Results: We monitored 100 comatose children, 69% within 24 h of ICU admission. Median length of ICU stay was 5 days. Median duration of v-EEG was 20 h. Epileptic seizures were identified in only seven patients, of whom six had a history of epilepsy with witnessed seizures immediately prior to v-EEG. All epileptic seizures were recorded in the first 3 h of v-EEG. Seizures were suspected by ICU staff in 18 monitored patients, only four of whom had confirmed epileptic seizures., Discussion: The lower prevalence of epileptic seizures and the shorter length of ICU stay in children compared to adults and neonates suggest a different spectrum of disease and neurologic response. Short-duration v-EEG in patients with a history of prior seizures, epilepsy, or clinical events suspected to be seizures seems more appropriate than routine v-EEG in all comatose children in the pediatric ICU.