Bridging the gaps in the setup of a functional epilepsy monitoring unit in Uganda to support epilepsy surgery

Emmanuel Wegoye; David Bieber; Shadrack Khisa; Khrystyna Moskalyk; Brenda Mutonyi; Betty Nantongo; Richard Idro; Mariana Vicenteno; Erik Padilla; Sunny Abdelmageed; Roxanna M. Garcia; Robert Sebunya; Humphrey Okechi; Elysa Widjaja; Sandi Lam

doi:10.3171/2024.12.FOCUS24808

Bridging the gaps in the setup of a functional epilepsy monitoring unit in Uganda to support epilepsy surgery

Emmanuel Wegoye, David Bieber, Shadrack Khisa, Khrystyna Moskalyk, Brenda Mutonyi, Betty Nantongo, Richard Idro, Mariana Vicenteno, Erik Padilla, Sunny Abdelmageed, Roxanna M. Garcia, Robert Sebunya, Humphrey Okechi, Elysa Widjaja, Sandi Lam^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

As many as 80 million people in the world have epilepsy. Those living in the developing world are disproportionately affected. Approximately 770,000 people in Uganda are affected by epilepsy. Drug-resistant epilepsy affects approximately 30%–40% of patients with epilepsy, and one-third of these patients may be eligible for surgical management. This article describes the formation of an epilepsy monitoring unit in Uganda as the first step toward establishing a surgical epilepsy program for pediatric patients. A hybrid remote and in-person collaborative model was developed between teams in Mbale and Kampala in Uganda and Chicago in the US. The authors describe a process that spanned 2 years (2021–2023) for developing readiness for referrals for pediatric epilepsy surgery candidates in Uganda.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	E7
Journal	Neurosurgical focus
Volume	58
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3171/2024.12.FOCUS24808
State	Published - 2025

Funding

We would like to extend our appreciation to all collaborating partners at Lurie Children\u2019s Hospital, CURE Children\u2019s Hospital of Uganda, and Makerere University, and the communities who are committed to strengthening epilepsy surgery in Uganda. This study was funded by a grant (award no. 1039) to Dr. Lam from the Robert J. Havey, MD, Institute for Global Health at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Keywords

drug-resistant epilepsy
electroencephalogram
epilepsy monitoring unit
epilepsy surgery
low- and middle-income country
online learning
virtual multidisciplinary clinic

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Surgery
Clinical Neurology

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10.3171/2024.12.FOCUS24808

Cite this

Wegoye, E., Bieber, D., Khisa, S., Moskalyk, K., Mutonyi, B., Nantongo, B., Idro, R., Vicenteno, M., Padilla, E., Abdelmageed, S., Garcia, R. M., Sebunya, R., Okechi, H., Widjaja, E., & Lam, S. (2025). Bridging the gaps in the setup of a functional epilepsy monitoring unit in Uganda to support epilepsy surgery. Neurosurgical focus, 58(3), Article E7. https://doi.org/10.3171/2024.12.FOCUS24808

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Wegoye, E, Bieber, D, Khisa, S, Moskalyk, K, Mutonyi, B, Nantongo, B, Idro, R, Vicenteno, M, Padilla, E, Abdelmageed, S, Garcia, RM, Sebunya, R, Okechi, H, Widjaja, E & Lam, S 2025, 'Bridging the gaps in the setup of a functional epilepsy monitoring unit in Uganda to support epilepsy surgery', Neurosurgical focus, vol. 58, no. 3, E7. https://doi.org/10.3171/2024.12.FOCUS24808

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AU - Sebunya, Robert

AU - Okechi, Humphrey

AU - Widjaja, Elysa

AU - Lam, Sandi

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Bridging the gaps in the setup of a functional epilepsy monitoring unit in Uganda to support epilepsy surgery

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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