EEG Routine 2

Question 1

What is the standard duration of a routine EEG recording?

Accepted Answer

20-30 minutes

Answer

A standard routine EEG typically records for 20-30 minutes, providing adequate time for baseline recording, activation procedures (hyperventilation and photic stimulation), and ideally capturing some drowsiness.

Question 2

Before beginning a routine EEG, the technologist should first:

Accepted Answer

Review the clinical history and indication for the study on the requisition

Answer

Reviewing the clinical indication and patient history before beginning allows the technologist to tailor the recording protocol, anticipate relevant findings, and take appropriate precautions.

Question 3

During a routine EEG, the technologist observes the patient staring blankly and becoming unresponsive. The appropriate action is to:

Accepted Answer

Continue recording while testing the patient's responsiveness and documenting observations

Answer

The technologist should keep recording to capture the EEG correlate of the clinical event while simultaneously testing responsiveness (speaking to the patient, presenting objects) and carefully documenting all observations with timestamps.

Question 4

What documentation should the EEG technologist include in the technical report for a routine study?

Accepted Answer

Patient state, medications, impedance values, activation procedure details, artifacts encountered, and any clinical events observed

Answer

The technical report should comprehensively document patient state, current medications, electrode impedances, activation procedures performed and their responses, artifacts encountered, clinical observations, and any events during the recording.

Question 5

If a routine EEG shows no epileptiform abnormalities, this means:

Accepted Answer

A single normal EEG does not exclude epilepsy, as interictal sensitivity is approximately 50% for a single routine study

Answer

A single normal routine EEG has limited sensitivity (approximately 50%) for detecting interictal epileptiform discharges. Epilepsy remains a clinical diagnosis, and serial or prolonged EEG studies increase diagnostic yield.

EEG - Electroencephalography Practice Test

EEG - Electroencephalography Practice Test

EEG Routine 2