Clinical neurophysiology is a branch of medicine concerned with diagnosis and monitoring of disease by measurement of the electrical activity of the brain, the spinal cord, nerves and muscles.
There is a dedicated paediatric service in the Trust, the only dedicated paediatric service in the southeast of England.
The service does not sedate any children, but uses play and distraction.
All patients need a referral prior to appointments being allocated.
The service performs:
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Routine electroencephalography (EEG's)
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Sleep deprived EEG's
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24 hour ambulatory EEG's
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Visual evoked response (VER)
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Electroretinogram (ERG's)
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Electromyography and nerve conduction studies (EMG/NCS)
We have a 100% success rate for performing EEG's in the last five years. The test takes approximately 45 minutes to perform and involves the child sitting relatively still for that amount of time. About 40% of our patients are under five and we also see children with learning difficulties and autism where co-operation can be difficult. Many departments use sedation routinely on children with these conditions. However, that doesn't mean they will get the desired result.
