Comprehensive Epilepsy Center
Epilepsy Monitoring Unit
As part of the evaluation, your physician in the center may want you to be admitted to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.
The Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, located on the 9th floor of the Gibbon Building, is a specially designed epilepsy unit. Monitoring
allows your doctor to see precisely how many seizures you are having. It can also tell your doctor which medications might
be best for you by determining exactly what type of epilepsy you have. If you are being considered for surgery, monitoring
is necessary to locate the area where your seizures begin.
Patients will have EEG electrodes placed their scalp, just like a routine EEG, for 24 hours a day, while in the hospital.
Special electrodes called spheniodal electrodes may also be used. Patients, if they have not already had one, will have and
MRI of the brain. A MRI of the brain is the image of your brain that can show abnormalities that help determine where your
seizures begin. Other testing includes a SPECT scan, which is a test that looks at the blood flow in your brain, this can
also help determine where your seizures begin, and neuropsychological testing, which are paper and pencil tests that evaluate
your memory, language and spatial perception, among other abilities.
Our epilepsy unit consists of six beds, all in private rooms. Each room is customized with special lighting, carpeting, cables,
and cameras. The unit is equipped with technologically superior equipment that includes: EEG monitoring room with video and
continuous EEG display, 128 channel per patient capability, computerized spike and seizure detection, nursing station alarm
for seizures, and protocol for behavioral testing during seizures. The patient lounge is equipped with an entertainment center,
games, and tables for meals. There is a central nursing station with a video display to allow nurses to monitor seizure activity.
The nursing staff is trained specifically in epilepsy care.
The staff at the Jefferson Comprehensive Epilepsy Center will schedule your inpatient stay and obtain pre-authorization, from
the patient's insurance company, if it is required. You will be notified of any pre-admission testing procedures that may
be necessary.
Thank you once again for selecting our practice. It is a privilege to serve you. We look forward to a long relationship in
managing your health care needs.
