This uses magnetic fields and radio waves to create an image of your brain. keloidal scarring) or involving the back will be considered unfit. The main scan used is a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. A candidate will not be assessed physically fit unless the examination as a whole.
As far as the EEG is concerned, people with epilepsy have abnormal EEGs even when not having a seizure, especially off medication. As far as I know they cant tell whether youve actually had a seizure. damage to the brain, such as damage caused by a stroke The doctors can look at your MRI to see if there are things in your brain that could cause seizures, such as tumors, angiomas, lesions, etc.These signals are recorded by a machine and are looked at to see if they're unusual.Ī brain scan can help spot problems in your brain that can sometimes cause epilepsy, such as: Checking your brain activity (EEG)Īn electroencephalogram (EEG) is used to check for unusual electrical activity in the brain that can happen in people with epilepsy.ĭuring the test, small sensors are attached to your scalp to pick up the electrical signals produced when brain cells send messages to each other. between interictal and ictal EEG signals can be used to detect seizures in. The specialist may suggest having a test to check your brain activity called an electroencephalogram (EEG), or a brain scan to look for any problem in your brain.īut if these tests do not show anything, it's still possible you have epilepsy, and you may be diagnosed just based on your symptoms. Long-term EEG recordings of an epileptic patient contain a huge amount of EEG. It can also be very useful to bring along someone who's seen you have a seizure, or to bring a video recording of you having a seizure if possible. It may help to write some notes before your appointment and bring them with you. how you felt before, during and afterwards.It'll help your specialist if you can describe what you remember about your seizure in as much detail as possible, including things like: It can be hard to diagnose epilepsy quickly because other conditions, such as fainting, migraines and panic attacks, can cause similar symptoms. It often cannot be confirmed until you've had more than 1 seizure. There's a chance you could have another seizure while waiting for your appointment, so during this time it's best to avoid activities that could put you or others in danger if you were to have a seizure.įor example, you should avoid driving and swimming until you've seen a specialist.Ĭontact a GP for advice if you have another seizure while waiting for your appointment. You should see a specialist within 2 weeks of being referred. They'll want to find out more about your seizure and may suggest having some tests. This is mainly due to the fact that EEG detected under different conditions has different characteristics. This is someone who's an expert in conditions that affect the brain and nerves. Further, the literature survey shows that the pattern recognition required to detect epileptic seizure varies with different conditions of EEG datasets. You'll usually see a doctor called a neurologist. If you have a seizure, a GP may refer you to a specialist to find out what caused it.