Epilepsy Monitoring Unit

Osman Farooq, MD.

As one of the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit’s panel neurologists, Osman Farooq, MD, will oversee your training on video electroencephalographic (EEG) monitoring.

Develop your skills in caring for patients admitted to the hospital for long-term video electroencephalographic (EEG) monitoring, and learn to read stereotactic EEG studies.

As a fellow in our program, you will spend the majority of your inpatient rotations in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) at Oishei Children’s Hospital.

This rotation helps you feel fully prepared to interpret continuous video electroencephalograms (EEGs) for inpatients. You will also have opportunities to:

  • read stereotactic EEG studies
  • learn how to adjust anti-seizure medications

Benefit from In-Depth Experience

With the guidance of seasoned faculty members, you can expect to gain experience with:

  • routine EEGs: 50 as the primary reviewer
  • phase 1 scalp monitoring (prolonged, overnight studies): 20 as the primary reviewer
  • phase 2 intracranial monitoring, including subdural grid, depth, and intra-operative electrocorticograph recordings: five as the primary reviewer

Correctly writing an EEG report is an integral skill that you must master. Therefore, we’ll enable you to take a large amount of responsibility for writing reports of EEG findings. 

Additionally, you’ll feel confident with:

  • distinguishing abnormal EEG patterns
  • recognizing and then troubleshooting bad EEG recordings and contaminated records
  • troubleshooting bad EEG recordings and contaminated records
  • judging the clinical significance of abnormal EEG patterns

Train in a Level 4 Center

Our EMU training environment is a National Association of Epilepsy level 4 monitoring center. Accordingly, you’ll have the advantage of training alongside experts who provide the highest level of care for patients with epilepsy and other seizure disorders.

This level 4 center will expose you to:

  • complex forms of intensive neurodiagnostic monitoring
  • complete evaluation for epilepsy surgery, including intracranial electrodes
  • extensive medical, neuropsychological and psychosocial treatment
  • advanced surgical care for epilepsy

Therefore, you will deepen you knowledge of pre-surgical and surgical studies. You will also learn how to interpret invasive electroencephalograms and become familiar with pre-surgical workups.

Length of Rotation

20 weeks (five modules)

Expect to take home calls on this rotation.

Patient Population

You may see adult and pediatric patients with conditions including:

  • temporal lobe epilepsy
  • Lennox-Gastaut syndrome
  • frontal lobe and other extratemporal epilepsies
  • multifocal epilepsy
  • focal status epilepticus
  • primary generalized epilepsy
  • symptomatic generalized epilepsy

Training Site