American Academy of Neurology
View all recommendations from this societyReleased February 21, 2013
Don’t perform electroencephalography (EEG) for headaches.
EEG has no advantage over clinical evaluation in diagnosing headache, does not improve outcomes and increases cost. Recurrent headache is the most common pain problem, affecting 15% to 20% of people.
These items are provided solely for informational purposes and are not intended as a substitute for consultation with a medical professional. Patients with any specific questions about the items on this list or their individual situation should consult their physician.
How The List Was Created
The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) established aChoosing Wisely® Working Group to develop its list of recommendations. Members of this group were selected to broadly represent varying practice settings and neurological subspecialties. Neurologists with methodological expertise in evidence-based medicine and practice guideline development were also included. The working group solicited recommendations from AAN members, which were then rated based upon their judgments of harm and benefit that would result based upon compliance with the recommendation. Based on committee voting and a literature review, candidate recommendations were sent to relevant AAN sections, committees, specialty societies and patient advocacy groups for review and comment. The working group reviewed this feedback and voted on the final Top Five recommendations, which were approved by the AAN Practice Committee and Board of Directors.
AAN’s disclosure and conflict of interest policy can be found at www.aan.com.
Sources
Gronseth GS, Greenberg MK. The utility of the electroencephalogram in the evaluation of patients presenting with headache: a review of the literature. Neurology [Internet]. 1995;45(7):1263-1267.
