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Board Certified in:     Adult & Pediatric Neurology     Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics     

Vassar Hospital Epilepsy Monitoring Unit Helps Determine Patient's Options

A technician uses computer equipment to monitor patients in Vassar Hospital’s state-of-the-art 4 Bed Epilepsy Monitoring Unit.  Patients usually stay in the unit from three to five days and are evaluated using EEG equipment and video cameras. 

The EMU monitors patients with resistant epilepsy.  Patients are admitted into the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit to have their brain activity  monitored continuously.  The hospital’s new Epilepsy Monitoring Unit is helping neurologists Samuel Koszer , Glenn Castaneda  and  Gregory Taylor, diagnose seizures, locate the part of brain where seizures occur and determine the best course of treatment.  

When patients arrive, special scalp electrodes are attached to measure brain activity. They are then free to move about the room. Cameras stream live, digital video to a nearby control room where technologists view the patients’ activities along with synchronized EEG brain wave readings. The cameras show the physical happenings, while the EEG shows brain activity.