Epilepsy

Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at Mayo Clinic in Florida

The Epilepsy Monitoring Unit specializes in caring for people who need to be hospitalized during seizure evaluation. Patients are admitted to the unit when their condition requires prolonged electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring or when they are being evaluated for epilepsy surgery. Such extensive monitoring helps epileptologists characterize the seizure type, localize the area where the seizure begins and exclude nonepileptic seizures from the diagnosis. The detailed information helps the epilepsy team develop customized treatment plans for each patient.

Seizure monitoring usually requires patients to stop taking some or all of their seizure medications. This can result in frequent, more intense seizures during monitoring. Patients may be asked to remain awake some nights to provoke seizures during monitoring.

Patients in the unit receive continuous EEG and video monitoring. The EEG monitors electrical impulses from the nerve cells in the brain to record the brain's activities. EEG leads with wires are glued to the scalp with dissolvable glue. The EEG is recorded continuously in another room in the unit. Patients also are monitored 24 hours a day by video camera. Monitoring typically requires a two- to five-day hospital stay.

The Epilepsy Program's Monitoring Unit is located at Mayo Clinic hospital. The new Epilepsy Monitoring Unit consists of five beds, allowing more patients to be monitored at one time, and on the same campus as the Clinic.