• Information
• Publications
  • Brain and Spine Booklets
  • Forthcoming titles
  • Get involved publications
  • Case studies
• Glossary
• Neurological centres
• Headstrong
• Information Access toolkit

|

This is a more sophisticated method of recording the EEG over long periods, which makes use of both EEG and video recording. This is done in hospital, either on one of the general wards or in a specialised video-telemetry unit.

A standard set of EEG electrodes is placed on the scalp and these are connected to a small relay box worn around the chest or waist. This in turn is connected by a long cable to the EEG recording machine, which stands at the bedside. The machine also has a video camera, which is directed at the person having the test. The video image and the EEG can be viewed together on a split-screen display, with the EEG on one side and the video image on the other, or separate monitors can be used for the two sets of information.

This method has the advantage over ambulatory EEG that the doctor is able to study exactly what happened during any attacks on the video and match this up with the simultaneous EEG recording.

Video-telemetry is valuable in trying to establish whether attacks are epileptic or not and in determining the type of epilepsy. It also has a more specialised application in assessing whether people whose epilepsy has been difficult to control with drug treatment might benefit from an operation to treat their seizures.

How long a person will need to be in hospital for video-telemetry will depend on how often attacks are occurring, but it is usually between five and 14 days. If anti-epileptic drugs are being taken, the dose will often be reduced or the drugs may even be stopped altogether to maximise the chances of recording fits over a reasonable period of time.

Video-telemetry is, of course, rather restricting. It is important for the person to remain connected to the system and in camera range for most of the time. This means being in or on the bed or in a chair at the bedside. However, if someone is in hospital for several days, they will not have to stay connected to the system for every second. The cable connecting the relay box to the videotelemetry system can be unplugged quite easily, allowing them to go to the toilet or bathroom and to stretch their legs for a short while.

In some centres, the EEG signals are sent from the person to the recording system by radio transmission, doing away with the need for a cable link. Nevertheless, they still need to remain in camera range for as much of the time as possible.

Video-telemetry is now becoming more widely available and is no longer limited to hospitals with specialist units. It can be used for adults and children. It is quite valuable in assessing newborn babies with seizures.