What if eeg is abnormal

These are often seen in people who are awake, with their eyes open or closed. They are often seen in the frontal lobes responsible for conscious thought and movement and in central areas of the brain. Theta waves happen between the frequencies of waves per second, and are also called slow activity. Theta waves occur during sleep and in young children. They are not obvious in adults who are awake.

Delta waves are at frequencies up to 4 waves per second. These are the slowest type of wave but have the highest amplitude strongest signal. Delta waves are common in children under one year. They also happen during some parts of sleep.

Gamma waves are at frequencies of waves per second. Spikes are very fast waves and are called spikes because of their shape on the EEG. Spikes clearly stand out from other brain activity on the EEG. Polyspikes are a series of spikes that happen quickly. Spike waves happen when one or more brief spikes are followed by a slow wave, and this happens three times per second. Sharp waves happen over milliseconds. What does it all mean? Information reviewed November You can call our helpline on Our Helpline is open five days a week, Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm, Wednesday 9am to 7.

Tests for epilepsy Blood tests, an Electroencephalogram EEG and scans are used to gather information for a diagnosis. Who will I see about my epilepsy? Want to know more? Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Editorial team. An electroencephalogram EEG is a test to measure the electrical activity of the brain. How the Test is Performed. The test is done in the following way: You lie on your back on a bed or in a reclining chair.

Flat metal disks called electrodes are placed all over your scalp. The disks are held in place with a sticky paste. The electrodes are connected by wires to a recording machine. The machine changes the electrical signals into patterns that can be seen on a monitor or drawn on paper. These patterns look like wavy lines. You need to lie still during the test with your eyes closed. This is because movement can change the results. You may be asked to do certain things during the test, such as breathe fast and deeply for several minutes or look at a bright flashing light.

You may be asked to sleep during the test. How to Prepare for the Test. EEG appointments are made by the Specialist Clinics. The booking office is open from am to pm Monday to Friday and can be contacted by telephone on The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne. Routine EEG. What does the EEG show? Does an abnormal EEG confirm epilepsy? How does the EEG help? Where to go and how long will it take? This is recorded on a computer and interpreted by a neurologist What does the EEG show?

The main roles of EEG in the evaluation of children with epilepsy are to: help distinguish focal from generalised seizures and epilepsies help make a specific syndrome diagnosis in a child with epilepsy.

EEG is occasionally used to: help confirm or exclude epilepsy, following a thorough clinical evaluation usually with EEG recording during episodes monitor treatment in some types of epilepsy help localise the site of seizure activity in a child with focal epilepsy An EEG can occasionally lead to confusion, especially if non-specific abnormalities or epileptic activity is seen in a child without seizures. Requirements for an EEG We need your child to have clean, dry hair with no extra products such as oil or gel.

If your child has hair lice, please make a new appointment, as health precautions prevent us from carrying out an EEG on a child with lice.

Recent chicken pox must be completely healed in order for the EEG to occur. Ideally we need your child to be fairly still during the recording. Toddlers may not enjoy the experience, much like a hair cut or hair wash.

The neurologist also considers several other types of information. Based on all of this information, your neurologist may diagnose seizures with confidence even though the result of your EEG was normal. The normal EEG does not mean that the neurologist was wrong in saying that you had a seizure.

Keep taking the seizure medicine that was prescribed. If you have a normal EEG and stay free of seizures for two years or more, the neurologist may suggest that you can stop taking it! Donate to Support Our Mission. The mission of the Epilepsy Foundation is to lead the fight to overcome the challenges of living with epilepsy and to accelerate therapies to stop seizures, find cures, and save lives. Skip to main content. What If It's Normal?