Epilepsy diagnosis

Brain cells that supply electrical impulses through nerve fibers control every part of our body. Usually, these signals are transmitted in a sequence. However, during an epileptic seizure, this scheme is "broken. " Neurons send messages simultaneously and block the brain areas responsible for language, memory, and consciousness. A single attack does not yet indicate that a person has epilepsy because specific symptoms can provoke many diseases. However, suspicion is raised after second or more repeated seizures. The first step is an examination by a neurologist. The doctor talks with the patient and finds out how often and how seizures manifest in a patient, what precedes them, whether someone from relatives has epilepsy, etc. Then the patient undergoes the following:Lab tests determine internal organs' condition and sensitivity to medications. Electroencephalography assesses the brain's electrical activity. Night EEG and round-the-clock video monitoring increase the informative value of the study since many patients have epileptic seizures only during night sleep or when they wake up or fall asleep. MRI and CT are ways to visualize all brain structures. They identify brain tumors, cysts, and the consequences of injuries that can cause seizures. Sometimes additional tests are prescribed. For example, single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with radioisotopes may find areas of increased metabolism in the brain that MRI does not "see. " Additional studies help to identify the illness's cause and choose the appropriate treatment.