What is the difference between a Routine EEG and an Ambulatory EEG?
A routine EEG requires the patient to attend a scheduled appointed, where electrodes are applied to the scalp. The electrodes are then connected to a computer which will monitor the brain waves for approximately 1 half hour, this method limits the type of data can be captured because it only records information for a short period of time. An Ambulatory EEG or “extended EEG” is recorded over an extended period of time, typically studies as 24 hours, 48 hours or 72 hours. With a Routine EEG it can be difficult to capture an “event” because the test is performed in such a short time period time; seizures and spells for example are often intermittent in nature of which 75% occur at night, information that would not have been captured in a Routine EEG.
