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CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE

To help commemorate 30 years of exceptional neurologic health care from 1979-2009, Neurology Consultants will publish 30 feature articles on our website to help patients and referring providers get to know what has contributed to our success.

FEATURE #12 of 30:

Electroencephalography (EEG) Technician

(From top to bottom):
Maura
Kim

An electroencephalogram (EEG) is a test that identifies and documents brain cell activity. Since normal brain waves are easily recognizable, this test tries to identify any abnormalities that may imply the following:

• Alcohol or drug abuse
• Attention deficit disorders
• Cerebral hemorrhages
• Encephalitis and other inflammatory diseases
• Hallucinations
• Head injury
• Migraines
• Seizure disorders
• Sleep disorders
• Stroke
• Syncope
• Tumors or abscesses in the brain
• Vertigo

Patients are asked to arrive for the test with clean, dry hair (i.e., no conditioners, gels, sprays, or styling products). In addition, they are asked to avoid caffeine for at least 8 hours prior to the test, and are instructed to have no more than 5 hours of sleep the night before. The patient should continue taking all medications prior to the test unless otherwise directed by a physician.

In order to begin identifying and documenting brain waves, the EEG technician attaches 18 to 28 electrodes onto the scalp using a conductive paste. Wires connect these electrodes to a machine that records and converts the brain’s electrical signals into a tracing on a computer screen.

An EEG, lasting approximately 1 to 2 hours, is performed as an outpatient procedure. If a patient has any suspected or known seizure disorders, an extended recording may be required. In some cases, patients are admitted to the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) for further testing.

What exactly does a billing specialist do on a daily basis?
Is the billing department in-house or outsourced?
Stay tuned for answers to these questions as we feature our final department in the coming weeks!

Read our previous featured articles including the history of Neurology Consultants Chartered.