By Lisa Marinelli Smith EEGs, short for electroencephalograms, offer a non-invasive, painless way for neurologists to find out more about someone’s brain activity to diagnose or rule out neurological conditions, such as epilepsy, sleep disorders, strokes and chronic headaches. By attaching electrodes to the scalp, forehead and temples, technicians use EEGs to measure brain waves that form when neurons in the brain communicate with each other. Each type of brain wave has a standard frequency, height and shape. Routine EEGs conducted in an office can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. Some patients will need to go to an epilepsy monitoring unit at a clinic for several days. Other patients have the option of an at-home, ambulatory EEG. How should a patient prepare for an EEG?When you’re instructed to go to an office for an EEG, please:
What to expect during testing? Your testing experience will differ if you have an ambulatory EEG at home, at an epilepsy monitoring unit or at a clinic. Clinic Routine EEGs are conducted in a clinic setting. You will have your EEG in a small, darkened room, sitting in a reclining armchair. The technician will:
As the EEG records your brain waves, your technician may ask you to:
This process takes about one hour. When your results are uploaded, a technician will “prune” the report to pull out the highlights, and a board-certified neurologist will interpret the results. NeuLine Health offers routine EEGs for patients in a clinic setting. Epilepsy Monitoring Unit An Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) is an inpatient unit at a hospital specifically designed to monitor and develop treatment plans for patients with seizures. During the EEG, patients will also be monitored by a video to record their behavior related to an EEG reading. You will likely undergo other diagnostic tests, including an MRI, routine EEG, neuropsychological testing and SPECT (nuclear imaging) scans. Epilepsy centers provide a multidisciplinary team approach to diagnosing and treating epilepsy. This team typically includes:
Ambulatory EEGNeuLine Health also offers ambulatory, long-term EEGs. A tech will coordinate with you to set up the appointment. The tech will prepare you for the exam at your home and set up the equipment, including video monitoring. In most cases, your EEG will last for 72 hours. When your test is done, a tech will return to your home to remove electrodes and pack up the equipment. Your results will be sent to a specialized technician to “prune” or pare down the results. Then a board-certified neurologist will interpret them. For more information about NeuLine Health EEGs, read about us online or call (844) 212-5321. |

How the FDA’s Patient-Focused Drug Development Program is Advancing Drug Development
Around ten years ago, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) acknowledged the unmet need — and urgency — of including patient perspective in drug and device development in a systematic way.