Epilepsy Monitoring Unit
Training in a Level 4 regional monitoring unit, you’ll gain proficiency interpreting long-term video EEGs, identifying candidates for surgery and, if you desire, placing sphenoidal electrodes.
You’ll care for patients in a long-term, eight-bed unit that the National Association of Epilepsy Centers has given its highest designation in recognition of the complex medical and surgical treatments we provide.
In this specialized environment, you’ll serve as an integral member of a team that treats epileptic and and non-epileptic episodic events in children and adults.
Working with epileptologists and EEG technicians, you’ll learn how non-invasive and intracranial EEG procedures are used to understand:
- clinical applications of epilepsy monitoring
- normal neonatal, pediatric and adult EEG
- EEG spatial analysis techniques to detect and localize seizure onsets
You’ll evaluate epilepsy patients via continuous monitoring, allowing you to accurately map seizure foci. You’ll learn how to develop optimal treatment plans that may include anti-epileptic drugs, a ketogenic diet, vagal nerve stimulation and surgery (for refractory epilepsy).
You’ll identify patients who need additional testing, such as:
- high-resolution MRI
- neuropsychological testing
- PET scan
- ictal SPECT
- magnetoencephalography
If considering a patient for epilepsy surgery, you’ll learn how to conduct presurgical evaluations and how to plan the surgery.
Call
From Sunday to Friday, you’ll be on night call from home. Only rarely will you need to come in. This is the only rotation that requires you to be on call.
Caseload
- 8-10 patients a week
More than 400 patients undergo long-term EEG monitoring here each year.
Length of Rotation
- 4-8 modules
Patient Population
Pediatric and adult patients with:
- episodic events
- refractory epilepsy
