Innovation in electroencephalography. The use of acupuncture needles as sphenoidal electrodes. A report of observations on 648 cases.

This paper describes the use of acupuncture needles as sphenoidal electrodes in the EEG studies of 648 patients. Among 87 cases of suspected psychomotor epilepsy, as compared with conventional electrodes, use of the improved sphenoidal electrodes could raise the incidence of abnormal findings by 25%. Among 327 cases of generalised epilepsy they raise the incidence of abnormalities by 3% only but they were helpful in the differentiation between primary and secondary epilepsy. In 129 cases of non-convulsive disorders the improved sphenoidal electrodes helped in giving a more definite diagnosis in brain tumours, organic encephalopathies, psychoses, hemiplegias of unknown cause, syncope, epileptic cephalgia, vertigo and abdominal epilepsy. Our 17 years experience has shown that the use of acupuncture needles as sphenoidal electrodes is simple, safe, reliable and good for routine use.