The BB EEG platform project aims at developing an Internet portal providing telemedicine and e-learning services in the field of the electroencephalographic (EEG) signals of the newborn. The EEG consists in recording the spontaneous electrical activity of the brain through several electrodes placed on the scalp. The neonatal period is a high risk neurological damage period because of the immature
nature of the brain for the premature births and/or because of non optimal conditions at birth (anoxia, infection .). The consequences can be severe and cause permanent and severe disabilities. The EEG enables the assessment of the brain function. It monitors the brain maturation during the first weeks of life if the child is born premature. The EEG makes possible the evaluation of the degree of brain damage in cases of difficult birth (e.g. cerebral anoxia). It can also detect possible seizures and monitor their evolution under treatment. In this case we must couple the EEG with a synchronized video of the patient in order to properly identify abnormal clinical manifestations. The techniques of neuroprotection starting to be commonly used, as for example the controlled hypothermia for cases of cerebral anoxia, require that an accurate assessment of the severity of brain damage be done. The EEG allows the physiological assessment but requires trained personnel for both the acquisition of EEG signals and their interpretation. The neonatal EEG requires highly specialized personnel. The French expertise is recognized but its daily practice suffers from a growing shortage of specialists. The Video EEG signals are recorded in digital form by a technician and visually analyzed by a doctor after their acquisition. They can also be analyzed by tools of signal processing in order to complement, accelerate or intensify the visual analysis.These characteristics prove that the EEG signals will fit well to telemedicine activities. Thus some members of the consortium have developed in Loire Valley for several years a EEG signals transport mean between hospitals Laval and Le Mans. In Bourgogne there is also an telemedicine activity around the EEG. In the Pays de la Loire region there are adapted facilities that enable the transmission of large amount of data. However, technical constraints (transport of medical data) and organizational (type of economic exploitation, work organization conditions for different personal ....) are hampering the application of EEG telemedicine activities on an industrial scale. Moreover, it is very important to ensure that the development of remote interpretation is not accompanied by a loss of competence. The BB EEG project will thus pave the way for the industrial development of the telemedicine activities and will contribute to maintaining the recognized excellence of the French school in this area. Our consortium brings together all the players necessary to tackle these barriers. It combines several hospitals in the region of Pays de la Loire with industry specializing in the secure transport of medical data, the work flow organization and its potential applications for learning strategies, with researchers in mathematics and signal processing fields. The hard goal of the BBEEG project is to provide a portal offering a combination of different services for a much rapid and secure diagnostic and for the newborn EEG training. The target audience are hospitals that do not have the competence of physicians who request a second opinion and professionals (doctors and technicians EEG) who wish to gain competence in this area. Our project will constitute a methodological framework for other initiatives in other medical fields.
