Epilepsy
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Tests for epilepsy |
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EPILEPSY
Tests for epilepsy
If your doctor suspects epilepsy she/he should refer you to a doctor who specializes in brain disorders or in epilepsy itself. This specialist may order a number of painless tests to help decide whether you have epilepsy and identify what type it is. Such tests aren't always conclusive. However, together with your signs and symptoms they can give the doctor a fairly clear idea of whether it is likely.
EEG
EEG stands for electroencephalogram. This test involves placing around 20 pads on your head while you sit or lie down. These pick up the electrical activity of your brain cells and transmits it to an instrument which produces a printout of your brain waves. The test is performed while you open and close your eyes, breathe deeply and during exposure to a flashing light. The whole thing usually takes less than half an hour. The specialist may ask for more specialized types of EEG to help diagnose attacks of uncertain cause.
Brain scans
These are to look for any areas of damage to your brain that could account for the seizures. The most common type of scan is CT (computed tomography). You lie on a mobile couch which slides your head into the scanner, which looks like the drum of a washing machine. X-rays are taken of the brain at different angles and passed through a computer to produce a picture of 'slices' of your brain.
A more sophisticated technique is MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). This provides a high-quality image of your brain - without using X-rays or other radiation. The drum-like scanner contains a powerful; magnet that picks up signals from your brain. These are fed into a computer which creates a 3-D image of the area being scanned and displays it on a screen. This test is very noisy.
Blood tests
The doctor will usually take a blood sample to check your overall health and to look for any other conditions that could be responsible for your seizures.
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