The WA Adult Epilepsy Service (WAAES) has this week commenced its inpatient service at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital (SCGH), with the first patient being treated. The outpatient component of the service commenced in August.
The service has transferred from Royal Perth Hospital to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, to centralise clinical expertise and resources, as part of the State Centre for Neurosciences based at the Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre.
The specialty neurology ward G51 at SCGH has been reconfigured and upgraded, to facilitate the provision of the long term video electroencephalograph (EEG) monitoring service. This service maps brain activity, and is an essential element in the diagnosis of some forms of epilepsy. EEG monitoring is also used prior to some brain surgery, where mapping of the site of abnormal brain activity is needed.
Epilepsy affects at least 20,000 people in WA each year, and the service’s activity is expected to increase in line with population growth.
The WAAES can be contacted on 6457 3276.