If tests cant confirm a Tourette Syndrome diagnosis, why do physicians sometimes perform an EEG or MRI?
“At this time, the diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome remains primarily a clinical diagnosis arrived at by excluding other possible causes for involuntary movements and/or vocalizations that are seen. There is no blood test, MRI finding or other laboratory examination that confirms a TS diagnosis. However, it is the responsibility of a physician to rule out other potential causes of the symptoms based on taking a careful medical history and physical examination. For example, an EEG can be helpful in excluding seizures and an MRI of the brain could exclude a mass, when either of these possibilities is under diagnostic consideration.
“At this time, the diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome remains primarily a clinical diagnosis arrived at by excluding other possible causes for involuntary movements and/or vocalizations that are seen. There is no blood test, MRI finding or other laboratory examination that confirms a TS diagnosis. However, it is the responsibility of a physician to rule out other potential causes of the symptoms based on taking a careful medical history and physical examination.
