At Christiana Hospital, a new laboratory suite enhances convenience and comfort for patients undergoing tests related to a wide range of neurological disorders.
The neurodiagnostic lab brings together doctors, technicians and state-of-the-art testing equipment for tracking brain wave patterns during electroencephalography (EEG) and for carrying out electromyography/nerve conduction studies (EMG/NCS), measuring the electrical activity of muscles and nerves. New technology broadens the scope of EEG and EMG testing to meet the growing clinical need for neurodiagnostics. A new scanning room and a designated inpatient EMG room have expanded the capacity to test EEG/EMG patients and monitor 24-hour EEG testing throughout the hospital.
“Because so many patient disorders can be traced to the central nervous system, we are fully committed to the continued growth of our Neurosciences Services and programs,” said Melissa Bollinger, RN, BSN, MBA, the service line operations leader.
An often-used hospital tool, EEG detects electrical activity in the brain and assists in identifying seizures, clarifying epilepsy syndrome and evaluating other brain conditions, said Huijun Wang, M.D., Ph.D., medical director for EEG.
EMG/NCS are common outpatient procedures, but they are not used as often as EEG in the hospital setting. However, electrodiagnostic studies are particularly helpful in diagnosing acute and life-threatening peripheral nervous system disorders, such as polyneuropathies, myopathies and motor neuron disorders, said Yadira Velazquez-Rodriquez, M.D., EMG medical director.
Technicians also have the ability to conduct 24/7 EEG studies of critically ill patients, and they can monitor patients from an intensive care unit in real-time, using portable devices.
“Because of our leadership within the Neuroscience Service Line, our staff is already working with a better pace and achieving higher quality in our testing,” Dr. Velazquez-Rodriquez said.