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Management and Development Personal Injury
Before, During & After Accident Solutions
A recent study conducted by the US Department of Veteran Affairs reveals the criticality of EEG testing.
Symptom-based studies attempting to uncover the differences between the effects of PTSD and mTBI on a human brain have proven inconclusive. The symptoms of these two conditions are very similar from restlessness, hypersensitivity, fatigue, irritability, memory loss, and dizziness. The treatment of these two conditions may vary greatly and the importance of an accurate diagnosis will impact the patient for better or worse.
The study in the International Journal of Psychophysiology demonstrated conclusive differentiation between the electrical measurements of a brain affected by mTBI or PTSD. The size and the direction of the brain waves are distinctly unalike. The study evaluated the EEG tests of a case group of active-duty service operatives or Veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and were exposed to explosive blasts.
Of the 147 participants in the study, 80% of the group demonstrated EEG results for mTBI. 40 of the participants demonstrated results for PTSD and 35 exhibited signs of both conditions. Knowing whether your patient suffers specifically from one condition or the other greatly improves diagnosis and treatment in the long term.
A study performed by the National Institute of Health on the microEEG and its performance in comparison to standard EEG equipment rendered positive results. The study involved 225 emergency department (ED) patients with altered mental status (AMS). Each test subject underwent 3 EEG tests; 2 classic EEG reads and 1 microEEG read. A blind interpretation of the reads found the microEEG comparable to the standard equipment with a decrease in set up time by 44% and diagnostic accuracy was not reduced when the cap electrodes had high and unbalanced impedance.
The potential for adding value to your patients’ livelihood with the incorporation of the microEEG is undeniable.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 2 million Americans are affected by TBI every year. A physician with the capability to provide an EEG test following a motor vehicle accident (MVA) or a fall is better equipped to provide the optimal wellness plan for the patient prior to any potential exacerbation of one’s symptoms.
Many doctors are limited in their access to obtain EEG tests for their patients in a timely manner. With the incorporation of the microEEG device into your practice, physicians are now able to perform testing whenever they deem it necessary in lieu of sending a patient to a specialist for whom he or she may wait for an appointment for weeks or longer following an injury.
Where subjective evidence and symptom-based observations have failed, the microEEG testing system offers the physician a completely objective vantage point for understanding and relaying the effects of an injury to a patient. The microEEG allows for the physician to take part in the valuable research of the long-term effects of various types of head trauma.