Epilepsy Program
Adult Epilepsy Services 405-271-3635
Pediatric Epilepsy Services 405-271-2244
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The Epilepsy Program at OU Medical Center is comprised of the adult Epilepsy Monitoring Unit on the third floor of OU Medical Center and the Pediatric Epilepsy Monitoring Unit on the tenth floor at The Children's Hospital.
The program is designated a Level 4 Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, which is the highest level designated by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers. Level 4 epilepsy centers have the professional expertise and facilities to provide the highest level medical and surgical evaluation and treatment for patients with complex epilepsy.
The Pediatric Epilepsy Monitoring Unit is the only unit designed for children and staffed by epilepsy specialists in the state of Oklahoma.
Because we have an Adult Epilepsy Monitoring Unit as well as the pediatric unit, we can diagnose, treat and possibly even cure epilepsy in patients ranging in age from the the youngest babies to our most aged individuals.
The epilepsy monitoring service runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week under the supervision of epileptologists.
- The Program provides the highest level of care for the patient with epilepsy, including intensive neurodiagnostic monitoring, surgical therapy of epilepsy, use of the latest medical treatments for epilepsy as well as adjunctive processes including neuropsychological evaluation and clinical and basic science research.
- Highly trained and epileptologists handle every aspect of epilepsy treatment from diagnostics with state-of-the-art neuroimaging with a 3T MRI, video EEG monitoring and PET scanning.
State-of-the-art Treatments and Testing
Treatments for epilepsy have expanded greatly over the last 40 years. Not infrequently, however, the diagnosis of seizures and epilepsy are incorrectly made since there are many health issues resembling seizures. That's why it's important to make sure a diagnosis of epilepsy is really epilepsy and not something else.
There are medications to help control seizures and new, sophisticated treatments have been introduced including surgery to remove epileptic foci and vagus nerve stimulators.The Wada Test can be used for patients considering surgery to ensure the brain and patient's safety.
Research in the area of epilepsy has made tremendous strides in defining the genetic basis for epilepsy as well as the neurophysiology. New devices and medications are being developed and our center is part of this effort through clinical trials.
Why is it important to get a thorough and accurate diagnosis of epilepsy and seizures? Dr. Yu-tze Ng explains why and how state-of-the-art technology, research and skill take diagnosing and treating epilepsy to another level of medicine.
The Program offers a full range of diagnostic testing including:
- Outpatient electroencephalography (EEG)
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- MR angiography (MRA)
- MR spectroscopy (MRS)
- Positron emission tomography (PET)
- Wada (intracarotid sodium amytal memory suppression) testing
- Neuropsychological testing
- A state-of-the-art video EEG Monitoring Unit (VEEG)
The adult and pediatric inpatient units have continuous, time-locked EEG with audio and video data allowing a team of specialists to accurately diagnosis a patient's seizure type and identify the potential area inside the brain where the seizures begin. This information then aids in formulating treatment options for patients.
We currently offer epilepsy expertise treatment, incorporating all available treatment options including drug studies, epilepsy potentially curative brain surgery and vagus nerve stimulation.
The video-monitoring process provides the most accurate method of diagnosing epilepsy and other conditions that are often misdiagnosed as epilepsy.
What is Epilepsy?
It’s estimated more than 2 million Americans have epilepsy and more than 150,000 are newly diagnosed with epilepsy each year. About 1 in 10 people have had a seizure and approximately 1 in 26 Americans will develop epilepsy at some point in their lives.
Now, Oklahomans have a place where they can receive the best care—from diagnosis to treatment—whether they’re pediatric or geriatric patients and everything in between.
A Correct Diagnosis is Critical
Currently, patients come from all parts of Oklahoma and from the surrounding states of Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, and the Texas Panhandle. Epilepsy affects all age groups with an equal gender distribution. The video-monitoring process provides the most accurate method of making the diagnosis of epilepsy and differentiating the problem of pseudo-seizure.
The diagnosis of epilepsy is a life-changing problem for the patient and carries very wide implications in terms of employability, ability to drive, and interact in a complex society. Making this diagnosis accurately is extremely important in view of the long-term implications.
Our Team
Yu-Tze Ng, M.D., F.R.A.C.P.
Dr. Ng is a pediatric epilepsy specialist trained at the University of Texas-Houston and originally from Australia. He is an associate editor of the scientific journal, “Pediatric Neurology” and has been a part of the Scientific Committees of the American Epilepsy Society, Child Neurology Society and American Academy of Neurology (Epilepsy Section). Dr Ng is board certified in Neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology with Special Qualification in Child Neurology. He is also board certified in Clinical Neurophysiology and is an Associate Professor of Neurology at the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Ng is the Presbyterian Health Foundation Chair of Child Neurology and Director of Epilepsy at OU. He is one of the world’s foremost experts on (new) antiepileptic drugs, epilepsy brain surgery, status epilepticus and certain epilepsy syndromes including Lennox Gastaut syndrome and epilepsy due to hypothalamic hamartomas.
Andrea S. Hakimi, D.O.
Dr. Hakimi has expertise in managing patients with seizures and epilepsy and the interpretation of EEG, including long-term video EEG monitoring. She is a graduate of the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed a residency in adult neurology at Michigan State University in 2005. She then completed a clinical neurophysiology fellowship at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Mich. in 2006, with emphasis on epilepsy and electroencephalography (EEG). Dr. Hakimi is a Diplomate of the American Board of Clinical Neurophysiology with Added Competency in Epilepsy Monitoring. She is a member of the American Epilepsy Society, American Academy of Neurology and American Clinical Neurophysiology Society.
Franchette Pascual, M.D.
Dr. Pascual is a specialist in epilepsy treatment and management with comprehensive approach. She is trained to interpret EEG and supervise Epilepsy Monitoring Unit service. She is a graduate of the John A. Burns School of Medicine – University of Hawaii. She interned at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center before completing her adult neurology residency at University of California Davis Medical Center. She went on to complete her clinical neurophysiology fellowship with EEG/epilepsy emphasis at University of California San Diego in 2012. She is an active member of the American Epilepsy Society and American Academy of Neurology.
Jeanne Ann King, M.D.
Dr. Jeanne Ann King has been a part of the Epilepsy faculty since its inception. She is board certified in adult neurology and a member of the American Epilepsy Society. She has a special interest in medical management of refractory epilepsy, particularly in individuals with intellectual disability. Dr. King has been selected by her peers as one of the "Best Doctors in America" on several occasions and has served as medical director of the OU Physicians neurology clinic since 2007. She has a strong interest in medical education and is a board member and faculty member of the J. Kiffen Penry Epilepsy Minifellowship Program based at Wake Forest University.