The test is used to map different areas of the brain in preparation for a wide variety of brain surgery. In the first phase, epilepsy patients who are candidates for brain surgery will benefit from the service. Until the opening of the clinic in Israel, the patients had to travel abroad to undergo the examination.
In 75% of epilepsy cases, the anti-epileptic drugs manage to balance the patients and allow them to lead a normal, seizure-free lifestyle. In most cases, it is necessary to examine therapeutic alternatives for the patient, including the surgical option.
The surgical treatment aims to prevent the epileptic seizures by removing the epileptic focus from the brain, but due to its complexity, it is carefully considered before it is performed. The neurosurgeon uses imaging tests and structural tests of the brain to assess the chances of success of the treatment and accordingly decide whether to perform it.
The MEG test (Magnetoencephalography) is based on an innovative, non-invasive and extremely sensitive technology that can indicate with the greatest precision the location of the epileptic foci in the brain. The test results help the doctor decide whether the patient can and should be operated on.
The MEG test - is currently considered one of the most important and essential tools for formulating a clinical recommendation regarding surgery. Until recently, the test was only possible abroad, but thanks to the opening of Brain Map, a diagnostic clinic at the Brain Research Center at Bar-Ilan University, patients can now undergo the MEG test in Israel.
About the advanced technology of the MEG
Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a method of recording brain waves, based on the measurement of the magnetic fields created as a result of brain activity. The test is used to map different areas of the brain (areas of movement, sensation, language and hearing) as a pre-operative preparation for a wide variety of brain surgery. In the first phase, epilepsy patients who are candidates for brain surgery will benefit from the service in Israel.
The MEG device used in the Brain Map clinic is equipped with 248 super sensors, which surround the subject's head in order to get full coverage of all parts of the brain. Each sensor registers the changes in the magnetic field from a different point in space and at a different angle, thus obtaining full coverage of all parts of the brain. The test is able to indicate the epileptic focus and follow the ignition of the seizure and its spread in the brain space. Even while the patient is not experiencing an epileptic attack, the test can provide a lot of information that helps the doctor in formulating an assessment in the pre-operative phase, thus the test contributes to reducing the risks associated with surgery and achieving the best possible result.
About the test process
The subject and the attendant arrive at the MEG clinic and bring relevant medical material with them.
In the meeting with the MEG doctor, the medical background, the types of tests performed so far, the types of epileptic seizures and their timing, the preliminary symptoms and any additional medical information, which may help the MEG doctor in planning the test, will be discussed. During the recording phase of the brain waves, the patient lies in bed with his head resting on a support and above him is the MEG helmet. You can take a nap or sleep important
remain motionless as much as possible. Upon completion of the examination, the patient is discharged home. Decoding the test takes about 3 weeks and the results are sent to the subject and the referring doctor.
Participation of the health insurance funds in the examination
The MEG test is not yet included in the health basket in Israel, at the same time, most health funds recognize the crucial importance of the test as a very important pre-operative indication for the success of brain surgery.
You can submit a request to the HMO to which you belong to perform the MEG test. The funds consider each case individually and approve the appropriate medical cases for examination.
About epilepsy
About 60,000 epilepsy patients live in Israel, of which about 15,000 are children and teenagers. The disease epilepsy (seizure) results from disturbances in the electrical activity of the brain, which cause uncontrolled "firing" of a group of nerve cells. The uncontrolled "firing" causes attacks of partial or general convulsions and different symptoms depending on the brain area involved. There are different types of epilepsy, the difference between which is the location of the electrical disturbances in the brain and the clinical manifestation resulting from them. The two main types of seizures are: a focal seizure, which is characterized by uncontrolled movements in different parts of the body without loss of consciousness and is considered the least severe, and a generalized seizure, which is characterized by loss of consciousness, falling (hence the nickname that stuck to it), rolling of the eyes, and convulsions of the whole body, usually accompanied by a loss of control over Closing and biting the tongue with secretion of saliva from the mouth. The duration of the attack ranges from a few seconds to a few minutes and depends on the type of attack. In rare cases, an attack can last even hours. Epilepsy can appear due to a variety of reasons, including hereditary reasons, or develop during life as a result of various brain findings, such as: a penetrating head injury that causes a scar in the brain tissue, a tumor and infarction, a disruption in blood flow to the brain. In some cases, it is not possible to identify the cause of the onset of seizures. About 25% of the population of epilepsy patients do not respond to drug treatment. Some of those seriously ill patients are candidates for brain surgery.
