Areas of Care

Adult Epilepsy Program

Adult Epilepsy Program

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Referral information for health professionals

Indications for referral to the clinic

  • Medically refractory epilepsy (where 2 or more medications have failed).
  • Surgical investigations for epilepsy or VNS adjustments.
  • Tumoral epilepsy.
  • Women’s Health in epilepsy.
  • First seizure (not otherwise seen by another neurologist).
  • Diagnostic uncertainty re: is this epilepsy or not where an EEG has already been performed.

Epilepsy clinic exclusions

  • Straight forward questions (such as long-standing epilepsy that is well controlled) asking for follow up. Therapeutic drug monitoring questions e.g. long-standing dilantin use with low levels, should be referred to e-consultation; these will not be seen in the clinic.
  • Most neurological symptoms that are not likely to be concordant with a seizure semiology or not involve altered awareness or loss of consciousness- e.g. tremor or falls NYD or pins and needles without CNS pathology or vertigo (epileptic vertigo is very rare) or constant psychiatric symptoms. Of course we do accept syncope vs. seizure referrals or TGA vs. seizure or PNES, as examples.
  • Patients who have been seizure free for more than five years and are not planning to wean off medication unless there is a concern about side effects of medications or their interaction with a newly-introduced treatment.

Criteria for referring patients back to a primary care provider

  • Once surgical workup and surgery are completed, if patient followed previously by a general neurologist but referred to epilepsy clinic for a surgical workup and patient’s seizures are in remission.
  • If the patient is not interested in making medication changes or adjustments, or pursuing higher order investigations for ex. surgical evaluation.
  • If more than 18 months seizure free.

Epilepsy Clinic referral processes

Icon Footnote

For urgent referrals, please contact the neurolog​​ist’s office directly.

Only physicians may send a referral.

Please fax the following when referring your patient to one of the neurologists:

  • A referral letter.
  • Clinical notes from previous consultants.
  • Ima​ging studies (CT, MRI).
  • Reports of any abnormal relevant laboratory tests.

613-761 5360 or 613-761-4752

Our office will call the patients with the appointment information, including time and location, and important documents that they must bring. 

First Seizure Clinic referrals

The First Seizure Clinic at The Ottawa Hospital is open to patients who were evaluated in the Emergency Department at The Ottawa Hospital. Currently we also accept referrals from other peripheral hospitals where a neurology service is missing. We rely on a co-management model of care, working with the patients’ family practitioners, to help continue providing this service to our region.

At this time, we cannot accept referrals from hospitals that do have a neurology service, such as Montfort, Hawkesbury General or Queensway Carleton hospitals.

Women with Epilepsy Clinic referrals

Please complete the following referral form and send it back to our office.

Women with Epilepsy referral(117.43 KB)

E-consultations

We are available for rapid access via the Champlain LHIN E-consultation platform and usually answer your questions within 48 hours of receiving your referral.

Please contact econsultsupport@lhinworks.on.ca to set up your account if you do not currently have one. This will enable you to send us referrals. 

Ordering EEGs

How to order a patient for a routine EEG

A physician must complete and sign the EEG requisition. Patient demographics and medical information is required including name, date of birth, address, OHIP number, type of test requested, medications, diagnosis, relevant history and type of information sought.

Please indicate if you would like us to perform a sleep deprived EEG or arrange other activation procedures. Please note we have limited spots for sleep deprived studies and, if ordered to enhance the yield of abnormalities, would encourage you to instead consider repeating sequential routine studies.

Sleep deprived studies will be booked but have longer waiting times associated with them.

Electroencephalogram requisition form(201.37 KB)

How to order a four-hour ambulatory video EEG

Ambulatory EEGs are performed at the Civic Campus. Patients will be connected to the equipment and sent home for 24 or 72 hours to record their brain activity. Please note most patients will receive a 24 hour recording unless otherwise indicated on the requisition. 72 hour recordings, performed Friday-Monday, help improve the diagnostic yield and are recommended if events occur infrequently or the first 24 hour study is negative.

Please send copies of previous EEGs done elsewhere to the EEG Department along with a completed requisition (see below). If the patient is incapable of pressing the event button or unaware of when his/her spells occur, a responsible adult can help maintain the patient’s daily diary of events and press the button.  

Patients will be liable for any lost or damaged equipment. 

Ambulatory video EEG order(220.02 KB)

Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) referrals

How to refer to the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (Neurologists only)

Please download the referral form and send us: 

  • The completed referral form.
  • Copies of prior clinic notes.
  • Test results including prior EEGs and neuroimaging if performed outside The Ottawa Hospital.

Incomplete referrals will be returned. 

Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) Requisition(196.06 KB)