Back to Epilepsy Services Offered

Interventional Testing

Wada

Following, EEG monitoring , most patients with epilepsy who are considering surgery undergo a test called the Wada test. The Wada test looks at language and memory on one side of the brain at a time. It is used to determine which side of your brain controls language. Memory can be controlled by both sides of the brain. The Wada test will help your doctor determine which side of your brain has better memory function.

If your doctor finds that the side of your brain that controls language or has better memory is where your seizures may be coming from, a functional MRI (fMRI) or brain mapping may be performed before surgery.

Spectrography

Magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy is a test that is used to measure biochemical changes in the brain, especially when there are brain tumors present. MR spectroscopy compares the chemical composition of normal brain tissue with abnormal tumor tissue and can be used to detect tissue changes in patients with epilepsy. This test is currently not offered at Inova.