Long-term video-EEG monitoring
Encyclopedia
Long-term video-EEG monitoring, also known as video telemetry, is a diagnostic
technique used in certain patients with epilepsy
or seizures. It involves the inpatient hospitalization of the patient for a period of time, typically days to weeks, during which they are continuously monitored and recorded with a video
camera and an electroencephalograph.
The recording is periodically monitored and analyzed by a neurologist
. Typically one trained in clinical neurophysiology
, the neurologist
determines when the monitoring is finished and issues the final report.
The purposes of long-term video-EEG monitoring include:
Medical diagnosis
Medical diagnosis refers both to the process of attempting to determine or identify a possible disease or disorder , and to the opinion reached by this process...
technique used in certain patients with epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
or seizures. It involves the inpatient hospitalization of the patient for a period of time, typically days to weeks, during which they are continuously monitored and recorded with a video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
camera and an electroencephalograph.
The recording is periodically monitored and analyzed by a neurologist
Neurologist
A neurologist is a physician who specializes in neurology, and is trained to investigate, or diagnose and treat neurological disorders.Neurology is the medical specialty related to the human nervous system. The nervous system encompasses the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves. A specialist...
. Typically one trained in clinical neurophysiology
Clinical neurophysiology
Clinical neurophysiology is a medical specialty that studies the central and peripheral nervous systems through the recording of bioelectrical activity, whether spontaneous or stimulated....
, the neurologist
Neurologist
A neurologist is a physician who specializes in neurology, and is trained to investigate, or diagnose and treat neurological disorders.Neurology is the medical specialty related to the human nervous system. The nervous system encompasses the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves. A specialist...
determines when the monitoring is finished and issues the final report.
The purposes of long-term video-EEG monitoring include:
- discovering where in the brainBrainThe brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
a given person's seizures begin - distinguishing epileptic seizures from psychogenic non-epileptic seizuresPsychogenic non-epileptic seizuresPsychogenic non-epileptic seizures , also known as Non-Epileptic Attack Disorders, are events superficially resembling an epileptic seizure, but without the characteristic electrical discharges associated with epilepsy. Instead, PNES are psychological in origin, and may be thought of as similar to...
- evaluating a person who is a candidate for surgerySurgerySurgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
to treat epilepsyEpilepsyEpilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...