Epilepsy & Seizure Center and Neurophysiology Lab
The Epilepsy & Seizure Center is the region's first center staffed by epilepsy specialists and dedicated to the diagnosis, care and treatment of adults, adolescents and children suffering from a wide range of neurological disorders and conditions, including epilepsy or other seizure-related illnesses. It is recognized by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC) as a Level 3 epilepsy center.
The Epilepsy Monitoring Unit includes five specially equipped monitoring rooms for adults in the Neuroscience Unit and two specially equipped rooms where pediatric patients can be monitored in the Hoops Family Children's Hospital. The center is staffed by specially trained medical, nursing and technical personnel and includes four rooms equipped with state-of-the-art monitoring equipment. The center's state-of-the-art monitoring equipment is specifically designed for the evaluation of seizure disorders, capable of 64 channels of EEG and video monitoring, using the 10-20 system (22 electrodes) and 10-10 system (75 electrodes) as well as intracranial electrodes. For patient safety, results are monitored around the clock at the nurses' station as well as the designated monitoring room. Services include:
- Long-term ICU video EEG monitoring: This is useful for managing status epilepticus and identifying non-convulsive seizure activity. An EEG machine is placed in the patient’s room and monitored from Epilepsy & Seizure Center. The interpreting physician can even access this data from home.
- Ambulatory EEG monitoring: The patient comes to the Epilepsy & Seizure Center, where the electrodes are applied and connected to a small device similar to a Holter monitor . Typically, the patient wears the device for three days.
- Routine video EEGs: These are available for both inpatient and outpatient populations. The electrodes are applied, and patients are monitored for a period of 30 minutes to over an hour.
Dr. Samrina Hanif discusses a patient's monitoring results with Eric Stephens, neuroscience clinic coordinator.
This combination of monitoring modalities offers epilepsy specialists a more comprehensive understanding of the patient's seizure activity and insight into the source of the seizure activity, whether seizures are due to epilepsy and the type and classification of the seizures, which results in a more accurate diagnosis and a more effective treatment plan.
The EEG Laboratory is accredited through the American Board of Registered Electroneurodiagnostic Technologists (ABRET). For more information about the specialized epilepsy evaluation, treatment and care available through the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine's Department of Neuroscience and Cabell Huntington Hospital's Epilepsy & Seizure Center and Neurophysiology Lab, please call 304.691.1787.
Epilepsy Support Group
Cabell Huntington Hospital's Epilepsy Support Group meets monthly. For more information, call 877.804.2241.