‘Open the epilepsy units without delay’

The HSE’s failure to open two hospital units critical to the treatment of people with severe epilepsy made national headlines this week. Dr Daniel Costello, consultant neurologist at Cork University Hospital (CUH), explains to Catherine Shanahan why this cost-saving measure is causing patients distress

Q: This week, we learned that two units, known as epilepsy monitoring units (EMUs), remain closed because of lack of funds to staff them. What is the significance of these units in the treatment of epilepsy?

A: These units are crucial in the treatment of patients with severe disabling epilepsy for a number of reasons: They assist in helping to make a definitive diagnosis where uncertainty may exist, and they allow monitoring of a patient’s brain activity in a manner that helps us decide on whether a person might benefit from brain surgery.