Using EEG in a Consultative Role

The electroencephalogram (EEG) is a long-used tool assisting health care providers with the diagnosis, management, and treatment of various neurological disorders. This article highlights several scenarios in which a consultant may utilize the routine EEG in managing specific neurological cases. Eight case scenarios from a tertiary referral hospital are presented for the reader's consideration. Scenarios selected are new-onset seizures, encephalopathy, syncope, dementia, brain death, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, status epilepticus, and migraine. A history in each condition is presented and is followed by a discussion of how useful an EEG may be in these specific situations. These eight cases highlight specific learning points where the EEG may be useful and how it can be practically incorporated into care of patients. Understanding how the EEG may be useful in the presented cases will allow the efficient and effective use of the EEG in similar clinical scenarios.