William Tatum, DO: When to Obtain a Routine EEG While Managing a Patient with Epilepsy

"A routine EEG is the foundation, it’s not necessarily the final answer."

At the American Epilepsy Society’s (AES) annual meeting held in New Orleans, Louisiana, several experts presented on topics that provided attendees with practical knowledge to advance day-to-day practice. One such presentation was given by William Tatum, DO, neurologist and epileptologist at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville.

Tatum addressed the question, when should we obtain a routine EEG while managing an adult with epilepsy? As EEG remains an essential diagnostic tool for people with epilepsy, Tatum explained that the question of when has to do with high yield situations like seizures, epilepsy, and spells when clinically suspect, and low yield situations such as headache or situations where an individual has established epilepsy. Tatum concluded that a routine EEG is the foundation and not necessarily the final answer.

NeurologyLive sat down at AES with Tatum to gain additional insight on when best to perform a routine EEG.