October 25, 2012

Doctors in Charlottesville are expanding their services when it comes to a particular type of testing.
In the past, EEG's were only done in the hospital setting. In this week's Martha Jefferson Healthwise report CBS19's Stephanie Satchell has more on the new capabilities when it comes to EEG's.

From epilepsy and meningitis to degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s or dementia, an EEG can help doctors come up with a diagnosis.

An EEG or electroencephalography is a test that records the electrogram of a patient's brain. It’s similar to what an EKG does for the heart.

Now doctors at Martha Jefferson hospital are expanding an EEG’s capabilities.

“We're going to be adding ambulatory studies which can be arranged and sent home and a patient can be recorded from home for two days at a time. You can also be admitted in the hospital to record the brain waves as well as video recording the patient themselves,” said Dr. Jeremy Gill, Martha Jefferson Hospital.

Doctor Jeremy Gill says having more options will allow doctors to have more data which could make a difference when it comes to diagnosing a patient.

“It helps to secure a clear diagnosis of epilepsy. It can also evaluate things like syncope and it will help to guide treatment,” said Gill.

Although, an EEG may seem a bit intimidating when you see all of the wires that have to be placed on your head doctor Gill says the test is completely painless.

“The discs themselves are less than a centimeter in size. They clean a little area of the scalp, apply the disc with just some adhesive and a thin wire,” said Gill.

Doctor Gill says taking the EEG with the new capabilities could help patients get an accurate diagnosis of epilepsy, stroke and more. It can also ensure patients get the necessary medications to put them on the road to recovery.