You will be able to help the technologist get your child's full cooperation. What happens during the EEG recording? You can go with your child into the recording roomĪs a parent/guardian/caregiver, you will be able to go with your child into the recording room.

the technician will ask about medicines, the reason your child has been sent for the test and any other relevant information which will help the doctor report the EEG.

please allow plenty of time to find the department so that you arrive at least 5 minutes before your appointment time.

What happens at the hospital before the EEG? They will give you information about how to sleep deprive your child.

The EEG department will let you know if they would like the EEG to be sleep deprived.

it increases the chances that if there are any abnormalities they will be seen during the recording.

it increases the chances that your child will sleep during the EEG.

Sometimes, before the EEG, your child needs to have less sleep than usual.

please wash your child's hair the day before the test.

if your child has a special toy, or book or cuddly please bring this too - they will help reassure and settle your child.

as this test takes a while, be prepared with food and drink for your child.

your child can eat and drink normally, and take any usual medicines.

How long does an EEG take?Īn EEG takes up to 1 hour and 30 minutes. Your doctor will tell you which hospital to go to - you may have to travel. There are several hospitals in New Zealand where your child can have an EEG. Once the specialist has finished the EEG report, they will usually delete the videos unless the video has recorded an event of interest. This helps the specialist interpret the EEG. Technicians usually video your child during the EEG. Abnormalities do not occur all the time but technicians can do things to increase the chances of picking up abnormalities during the recording time. The EEG records brain waves for 20 to 45 minutes, which is only a small amount of time. How can technicians get the most information from an EEG? For that reason, it's best to record the brainwaves in your child when they are both awake and asleep. Others are obvious in the awake and drowsy states.

Some of these abnormalities are only seen in sleep. The EEG can show abnormalities of these brain waves - you can sometimes see these between seizures in children with epilepsy. An EEG can show brain wave abnormalities in children with epilepsy.Īn EEG shows the electrical activity (brain waves) in your child's brain.

Eeg normal vs epilepsy