EEG records brain function/activity like ECG records heart function/beats.
- Routine EEG records electrical activity from the brain for 30 to 45 minutes.
- Long Term EEG is any recording that lasts 24 hours or more.
There are different kinds of long term EEG studies available:
- Ambulatory EEG can be done with or without camera video and is usually done for 72 hours. Patient are often set up by a technologist in their home and then are disconnected from the monitor after the 72 hour period. Some disadvantages are the time is restricted to 72 hours maximum and the patient may lose leads during the recording time due to a seizure or some other factor resulting in the loss of some or all of the data. The patient may not be a good candidate for ambulatory EEG due to limitations in their ability to comply with instructions i.e. dementia.
- Long term EEG (LTM) can also be performed in a hospital setting either in a special epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) or in a regular patient room or in an ICU. LTM monitoring lasts for the longest period of time. Usually 5 days in the out-patient center. LTM also allows for a more controlled setting by maintaining the integrity of the recording and can provide a safer environment with staff in constant attendance. The data is more reliable when obtained in this setting.
NeuroBasics provides Routine EEG (rEEG), Ambulatory EEG (AEEG) and Long Term Monitoring (LTM) and Intensive Care Unit EEG (ICU-EEG) Monitoring Services.