Rates of documented semiological characteristics of presenting seizures that are considered indicative of dissociative seizures
| Seizure characteristics | Total sample | EMS working diagnosis: | ED working diagnosis: | ||
| Dissociative seizure (correct) | Epileptic seizure (incorrect) | Dissociative seizure (correct) | Epileptic seizure (incorrect) | ||
| n=203 | n=10 | n=72 | n=109 | n=61 | |
| Closed eyes | 14% | 20% | 12% | 14% | 16% |
| Forced eye closure | 3% | 10% | 2% | 3% | 3% |
| Eyelid flutter | 1% | 0 | 1% | 0 | 1% |
| Fluctuating/discontinuous course | 19% | 20% | 25% | 19% | 14% |
| Asynchronous movements | 22% | 10% | 23% | 20% | 21% |
| Pelvic thrusting | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Side-to-side head or body movement | 4% | 0 | 2% | 5% | 1% |
| Ictal crying/weeping | 6% | 10% | 0 | 1% | 3% |
| Preserved awareness during bilateral movements | 6% | 0 | 8% | 8% | 4% |
| Long duration (>2 min) | 33% | 40% | 40% | 33% | 19% |
Notes: Overlapping diagnostic samples as many patients received working diagnoses at prehospital and in-hospital level of care; patients with ‘other’ working diagnoses are included in total sample but are not listed separately as diagnostic categories.
ED, emergency department; EMS, emergency medical services.