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Epilepsy Monitoring Unit

What Is an Epilepsy Monitoring Unit?

The epilepsy monitoring unit is where continuous video EEGs are performed. The video records the patient’s physical activity, including seizures and what happens in the moments before and after seizure. Simultaneously with the video recording, the EEG records brain activity, allowing physicians to pinpoint the type of seizure that is occurring and precisely locate the source.

The epilepsy monitoring unit is located on an inpatient floor at Banner Good Samaritan Hospital. Each patient has a private room with a bed, wireless Internet access and extra space for a caregiver, spouse or family member. Epilepsy monitoring can take anywhere from 24 hours to several days or a week. During that time, physicians, EEG technologists, nurses and EMU technicians will be monitoring each patient’s activity to identify when seizures begin and to keep patients safe and cared for as the seizures are occurring.

Who Should Be Monitored?

As a general rule, prolonged EEG-video monitoring should be obtained on any patient who continues to have frequent seizures despite antiepileptic drugs.

What is the Purpose?

The purpose of EEG-video is to answer the following questions:

Are the episodes epileptic seizures?
If not, what are they?
If they are epileptic seizures, what type of epilepsy is it?
If the seizures are focal, from where are they arising?

What Can I Do to Prepare for Admission?

Take a shower and wash your hair the night before or morning of admission. Your hair should be clean with no hair products such as gels, sprays, mousse, or hair weaves. It is not necessary to cut your hair or shave your head.
Do not stop taking your medications unless your physician has told you to.
Bring your current medications with you or have a list of them, including any over-the-counter medications or supplements that you may take.
Bring a complete list of your medical and surgical history.
Bring your seizure diary.
Wear comfortable clothing or pajamas. Button-down shirts and elastic-waist pants are advisable. Rubber-soled slippers or sneakers should be worn when up and about the room.

What Happens After Testing?

After video EEG telemetry monitoring, the results are interpreted and used to guide treatment or further diagnostic tests. Sometimes, video EEG studies reveal that symptoms are not related to epilepsy, and recommendations include appropriate follow-up and treatment of the underlying cause of the seizures. If testing reveals the symptoms are related to epileptic seizures, then our physicians look at the type of epileptic seizures that are occurring and make the appropriate treatment recommendation.

For patients with epileptic seizures that do not respond to medication treatment, further recommendations could include specific neuroimaging tests, such as MRI, positron emission tomography (PET),or testing for epilepsy-related memory changes with neuropsychological testing. In cases where epilepsy surgery is a treatment option, the patient's history and testing is reviewed in a weekly conference that includes the staff of the Banner Good Samaritan Epilepsy Center as well as the treating neurology and neurosurgery physicians.