On the day of the appointment, please:
- Arrive 15 minutes before the appointment.
- Check in with the Radiology Department on the second floor of the Clements Imaging Building (Rogers MRI).
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New Patient Appointment or 214-645-8300
UT Southwestern Medical Center offers magnetoencephalography (MEG), a state-of-the-art technology that maps brain function. Our radiology specialists perform this testing before surgery to help plan procedures, particularly in patients with epilepsy.
UT Southwestern offers the most advanced MEG technology currently available, and we have the only MEG scanner in Dallas.
UT Southwestern Medical Center is ranked in the nation’s top 15 hospitals for neurology and neurosurgery by U.S. News & World Report for 2019–20.
Magnetoencephalography (mag-ne-toe-en-sef-a-log-ruff-ee), also called a MEG scan or study, is a sophisticated, noninvasive brain imaging technology. A MEG scan is the newest, most advanced method for detecting, recording, and analyzing the magnetic fields produced by the brain’s electrical activity.
MEG studies are painless and safe for children and adults, requiring no needle injections, radioactivity, or strong magnetic fields. The MEG scan is completely silent.
Our radiology experts at UT Southwestern are nationally recognized for their excellence in research and patient care. In our Neurodiagnostics Lab, we offer the latest innovations in diagnosis, using the most advanced technology available. We work to accurately diagnose epilepsy, brain tumors, and other brain disorders so that we can provide safe, effective treatment to improve our patients’ lives.
At UT Southwestern, our brain specialists (neuroradiologists, neurologists, and neurosurgeons) use MEG scans to map brain function before brain surgery. We use MEG studies to identify the precise location in the brain where seizures or other problems arise.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) shows the brain’s structure, and we combine MRI with MEG. The combined images map the areas of normal and abnormal brain activity. We use MEG scans to make brain surgery safer and more effective by targeting areas for treatment and avoiding surrounding healthy tissues.
Our neuroradiology specialists use MEG scans to identify and map:
We often recommend MEG studies for people who are undergoing brain surgery for conditions such as:
We’ve provided these recommendations to help patients prepare for the MEG scan. Please contact our care team at 214-645-9729 if you have any questions.
Please notify us if you or your child has:
How to prepare:
Please bring the following items:
Please avoid these items:
On the day of the appointment, please:
Once you check in and before the patient enters the MEG scanner:
To begin the procedure:
During the MEG scan:
The exam is an outpatient procedure that typically takes about one to four hours, based on the test your physician orders. Patients can leave shortly after the exam and resume their normal activities.
Our neuroradiology and neurology team will work together to review the MEG recordings. The physician who ordered the MEG scan will receive the results.
UT Southwestern’s physician-scientists use MEG technology in ongoing research to improve patient care, with studies that help:
Search for opportunities to participate in a clinical research study.
We’re one of the world’s top academic medical centers, with a unique legacy of innovation in patient care and scientific discovery.
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