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NCD160.22  AMBULATORY EEG MONITORING

 

 

Effective Date of this Version

• 6/12/1984

 

 

Benefit Category

 

• Diagnostic Tests (other).

• Note: This may not be an exhaustive list of all applicable Medicare benefit categories for this item or service.

 

 

Item/Service Description

 

• Ambulatory or 24-hour electroencephalographic (EEG) monitoring is accomplished by a cassette recorder that continuously records brain wave patterns during 24 hours of a patient's routine daily activities and sleep.

• The monitoring equipment consists of an electrode set, preamplifiers, and a cassette recorder.

• The electrodes attach to the scalp, and their leads are connected to a recorder, usually worn on a belt.

 

 

Indications and Limitations of Coverage

 

• Ambulatory EEG monitoring is a diagnostic procedure for patients in whom a seizure diathesis is suspected but not defined by history, physical or resting EEG.

o Ambulatory EEG can be utilized in the differential diagnosis of syncope and transient ischemic attacks if not elucidated by conventional studies.

o Ambulatory EEG should always be preceded by a resting EEG.

• Ambulatory EEG monitoring is considered an established technique and covered under Medicare for the above purposes.

 

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