Evaluation of pre- and post-transplant electroencephalographic examination in hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients

Abstract

Background and purpose - Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is one of the most effective treatment methods for many malignant and non-malignant diseases. In this study, we aimed to detect electroencephalographic (EEG) anomalies at an early stage in patients who underwent allogeneic and autologous HSCT and required the management of potentially lifethreatening non-convulsive seizures. Methods - The study was conducted with 53 patients. The age, gender, HSCT type (allogeneic or autologous), and treatment regimens applied before and after HSCT were recorded. All patients underwent EEG monitoring twice, once on the first day of hospitalization and again one week after conditioning regimens began and HSCT was performed. Results - When the pre-transplant EEG findings were examined, 34 (64.2%) patients had normal EEGs and 19 (35.8%) had abnormal EEGs. After transplantation, 27 (50.9%) had normal EEG findings, 16 (30.2%) had a basic activity disorder, 6 (11.3%) had a focal anomaly, and 4 (7.5%) had a generalised anomaly. In the allogeneic group, the anomaly rate in post-transplant EEGs was significantly higher than that in the autologous group (p<0.05). Conclusion - It is important to consider the likelihood of epileptic seizures in the clinical follow-up of HSCT patients. EEG monitoring is crucial for the early diagnosis and treatment of such non-convulsive clinical manifestations.