Tests and Treatments

When you first meet with your healthcare provider or specialist, he or she will interview you to obtain your medical history and perform a neurological examination.

The neurological examination may involve testing your motor and sensory skills, including checking your strength, coordination, and balance. Your hearing, speech, vision, and memory may also be checked.

The following common tests may be requested. To provide you with helpful health information related to these tests, please refer to the following articles. Most of these articles go to our Dartmouth-Hitchcock Healthwise® Health Encyclopedia website:

• CT (computed tomography) scan, which uses X-rays to make detailed pictures of structures inside of the body.
• Electromyography (EMG), an electrical study of nerves and muscle.
• Inpatient video monitoring: To learn more about this procedure, refer to the Phase 1: Preliminary Tests section on the DHMC Epilepsy website.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) / magnetic resonance angiography (MRA)
• Muscle / nerve biopsy
• Positron Emission Tomography (PET), a test that uses a special type of camera and a tracer (radioactive substance) to look at organs in the body.
• Single-photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) scan, which uses a radioactive substance and a special camera to create 3-D pictures. Information provided by Mayo Clinic.

Treatments will vary depending on the neurological condition with which you are diagnosed, but may include medications or referrals to physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and support groups. In special cases, surgery may be required.