Routine EEG
A routine EEG is the recording of the brain’s electrical activity through the scalp. It is a brief (usually 20-40 minutes) and non-invasive test completed in the doctor’s office that allows the doctor to view the patient’s brain wave activity. The test is often performed on a patient with a known or suspected seizure disorder. Electrodes are placed on pre-measured areas of the scalp, and then removed when the study is over. Seizures are rarely recorded during routine EEG studies. The presence of spikes, sharp waves or spike-wave complexes (the electrographic hallmarks of epilepsy) or the identification of actual seizure activity during a routine EEG is consistent with an active seizure disorder. On the other hand, a normal study does not rule out an underlying seizure disorder. Often, more prolonged EEG monitoring is required. Some options are: outpatient (ambulatory) continuous EEG monitoring or inpatient continuous video-EEG monitoring.