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The
approach of the Johns Hopkins Pediatric Epilepsy Center reflects our
belief that we must care for the whole child. An accurate diagnosis
must be made and an appropriate treatment strategy must be designed.
But this can only be done by understanding all of the other medical,
psychological, social and educational issues that are involved. The
child must thrive within the family, the school and the community.
Our book, Seizures
and Epilepsy in Childhood: A Guide, now in its 3rd edition, has
become the standard text to help families touched by children with
epilepsy.
Services that are available to our patients on site and in collaborations
include:
Complete seizure
history
Comprehensive
neurological examination
Neurophysiological
tests
(routine EEG, outpatient video-EEG, monitoring, Wada testing)
Long-Term Video-EEG
Monitoring: scalp and intracranial
Neuroimaging:
MRI, MRS, PET, fMRI
Neuropsychology
Neurosurgery
Speech and
auditory processing evaluations
Physical and
occupational therapy
Counseling
and support services
TREATMENT OPTIONS:
Pharmacological
management:
use and monitoring of the appropriate anti-seizure medications to
control seizures without significant side effects
Diet
therapy: the classical ketogenic
diet.
Surgery:
removal of regions of the brain that are responsible for seizures
while protecting functionally important tissue; corpus callosotomy
(surgery that prevents spread of seizures between the hemispheres).
Vagus
nerve stimulation: A
procedure that does not involve brain surgery where a small pacemaker-like
device is surgically implanted below the skin on the upper chest.
The device delivers a small electrical current to the vagal nerve
in the neck. An impulse continues up the nerve to the brain.
Experimental:
Patients may be eligible to enroll in clinical studies that test
new medications, new approaches to dietary therapy (Atkins
diet), and new surgical approaches involving brain stimulation
(Neuropace).
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