Neurology Services, Inc.
Patients' Name: _______________________________
Date of Appointment: __________________
Time of Appointment: __________________
Appointment is at: Alexandria (703)360‑8200: __________
Woodbridge (703)878‑0600: __________
D.C. (202)728‑0099: __________
PREPARATION FOR TESTING
EEG:
1. Hair must be clean and dry, with no hair tonic, oil, gel, mousse, etc., and especially, no hair spray. If you wear braids, some of them may need to be undone. If you wear a hair‑weave, check with the technician prior to making an appointment.
2. Take your regular medicines, and eat your regular meals. Bring a list of your medications with you.
3. Do NOT drink any beverage with caffeine or alcohol in it for at least 24 hours prior to the test‑this includes coffee, tea, and most soft drinks. You may drink water, milk, fruit juices, or decaffeinated beverages.
4. If the doctor has ordered a sleep‑deprived EEG on you, be sure to get no more than 4 hours of sleep (1/2 your usual amount of sleep) the night before the test, so that you will be able to fall asleep during part of the test. If you feel that you will be too sleepy to get home on your own after so little sleep, be sure to bring someone with you who can help you get home.
24‑Hour EEG:
1. Follow instructions I and 2 for EEG as above. You may have up to 2 caffeinated beverages or one alcoholic beverage the day prior to the test, but you should not have caffeine or alcohol on the day of the test, or during it. You do not need to be sleep‑deprived.
2. Wear a shirt or blouse that buttons up the front, as otherwise it will be quite difficult to take it off.
3. Wires are glued to your head, going to a soft collar worn around the neck, with a cable going from there to a tape‑recorder worn on a belt around the waist, which you wear home. You will look somewhat peculiar, so you may want to bring a hat or scarf, and possibly a coat.
4. The solution used to remove the glue is somewhat oily, so plan on going home and washing your hair, after having the wires removed on the second day.
Q‑EEG (Quantitative EEG):
1. Follow instructions I and 2 for EEG as above. (If you normally drink more than two alcoholic beverages per day, or five or more caffeinated beverages per day, you should stay off of alcohol and caffeine for 48 hours, to give them sufficient time to clear out of your body.) You should not be sleep‑derived, as you need to be awake and alert for this test.
2. As much as possible, you need to be off of all medications for this test, as many medications interfere with the testing and make it less useful. Check with your doctor as to which medications you should continue taking, and bring a list of medicines you've taken with you.
EVOKED POTENTIALS:
You need to be awake and alert for these tests. Medications do not affect the tests, unless they make you sleepy. For the VER, if you wear glasses or contact lens, bring them with you.
BAER: ______
Do not drink alcohol for 24 hours prior to test. Certain antibiotics may affect the test‑if you are on antibiotics, tell technician prior to test.
SERs: _______
EMG/NCV: _______
Sensory Perception Testing (CPT or SPT): _______
Do not use any cream, lotions, oils, etc., on the skin‑these make it difficult to record. If you wear loose clothing for the SERs, you may not have to change into a patient gown. These tests are somewhat uncomfortable.
BEAM (Brain Electrical Activity Mapping):
This includes a regular EEG, Quantitative EEG, VER, BAER, and P300, with extensive quantitative, spectral, and brain‑mapping computer analysis of the various tests. Preparation is the same as for the Quantitative EEG.
