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Medical Tests

What you need to know about medical tests

Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT or CT scan)

• Uses low-dose x-rays
• Reproduces a 3-D computer image of the brain
• Shows what the brain looks like but not how it works
• Tracks an injection of dye to show more detail

Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT)

• Shows how the brain works
• Used when brain surgery is considered to treat your seizures
• Tracks an injection of radioactive material by computer scanning
• Shows how quickly the brain metabolizes certain substances

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

• Detects very small brain abnormalities, e.g., tumours or scar tissue
• Shows more detail than CT scans
• Is not an x-ray
• Uses a powerful magnet and computer to form a distinct image of brain tissue
• Helps to locate where seizures originate
• Is safe and has no side effects
• Shows a detailed picture of brain structures but not how they work
• Tracks an injection of dye to show more detail

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

• Measures and records electrical brain activity on a graph
• Takes one or two hours
• Shows abnormal brain activity, such as abnormal changes in brain-wave voltages
• Produces normal results in about 20% of people with epilepsy, because their seizures arise from deep in the brain

Video EEG

• Records brain's electrical activity on EEG
• Records what you experience during a seizure on video