Which diagnostic modalities are useful in differentiating seizure types commonly mistaken for epilepsy from true epileptic seizures?
A paucity of high-quality evidence limited our ability to draw evidence-based conclusions about measurement of serum prolactin levels as a diagnostic tool. Consequently, we were precluded from developing diagnostic decision-model algorithms that take into account the realities of clinical practice, where a differential diagnosis is based on information from many diagnostic technologies, not just information from a single diagnostic in isolation. The only relevant diagnostic supported by a sufficient quantity of literature to allow evidence-based analysis was serum prolactin. The relatively low quality of this literature, however, precludes firm evidence-based conclusions. Rather, this literature only allows the conclusion that serum prolactin levels could plausibly distinguish epileptic seizures from some nonepileptic seizures. Further research is required to determine whether the performance of this test is sufficient to warrant its use in clinical practice. Despite the importance of
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