Epilepsy Program

Welcome to the web page for the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) at University Hospital. The EMU was founded in 1987 by Dr. Warren T. Blume and Dr. John P. Girvin. The Epilepsy Program is widely recognized for its highly qualified team of professionals consisting of neurologists, neurosurgeons, nurses, psychologists, social workers and EEG technologists dedicated to the management of epilepsy, particularly epilepsy surgery.  

The EMU at University Hospital has become the largest in Canada and the 11-bed unit provides care for national and international patients. Devoted primarily to the investigation of patients for possible epilepsy surgery, the Epilepsy Unit is also used to aid diagnosis of epilepsy and other related conditions, and to evaluate patients for other types of treatment, including trials of antiepileptic medications. Three of the main reasons for EMU admissions are diagnosis, classification of seizure type and pre-surgical evaluation.

The EMU is a leader in its field and is active in training neurologists and neurosurgeons from around the world. In addition to patient care, the department supports world-class research and teaching. More than 30 neurologists and neurosurgeons have come from numerous countries to learn about the complex epilepsies in our program. While the majority of patients treated in the Epilepsy Unit are from Ontario, patients from other Canadian provinces and as far away as Holland, Mexico, Spain and Australia have come to London as a result of its specialized expertise.