Diagnosis
When you schedule an appointment at the Summa Health Epilepsy Center, you will have a consultation with an epilepsy specialist. We provide inpatient and outpatient testing, including diagnostic neuropsychological assessments to identify and lateralize cognitive deficits.
- Patients can be monitored through our dedicated 6-bed Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU). We also provide continuous Neuro ICU EEG monitoring. Some of the tools we use include:
- New generation 3T MRI with specialized epilepsy imaging protocols
- An integrated ictal SPECT monitoring service and post-processing lab
- Semi-quantitative PET imaging
- High-Density 3-Dimensional EEG Source Mapping
- Avatar-assisted motion capture monitoring off-camera
- A Multimodal Epilepsy Imaging Laboratory for visualizing and measuring brain abnormalities
- Invasive Brain Mapping Service
Our specialized EEG-monitoring-equipped hospital rooms are connected to a central control room in our EMU. The control room is where EEG technologists, board-certified epileptologists, and neuroscientists observe brain wave activity in real-time to assist in diagnosing patients. Our experts use this specialized inpatient unit to:
- Determine whether episodes experienced by a patient are seizures and, if so, whether they are epileptic seizures or non-epileptic spells
- Determine rapid medication adjustments in a controlled environment
- Evaluate seizure activity during sleep
- Map seizure-onset regions
- Perform neuropsychological testing
- Decide medical treatment plans
- Determine whether a patient is a candidate for epilepsy surgery
- Discuss patients in weekly multidisciplinary conferences
For more information, please talk with your physician or call the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at 234.867.6970 with your questions.
Treatments
The Summa Health Epilepsy Center offers many treatments options to meet you and your needs.
- Medication
- State-of-the-art treatments
- Epilepsy-specific diets
- Behavioral health programs
- Telehealth
While seizure medicines are the mainstay of epilepsy treatment, other treatment options include:
State-of-the-art treatments
These treatments are great options if your anti-seizure medication is no longer effective in managing your epilepsy.
- Neuromodulation
- RNS Device Programming & Monitoring.Responsive neurostimulation (RNS) reduces the frequency of seizures that can’t be controlled with medication or surgical resection. The RNS System consists of a small, battery-powered neurostimulator that sends pulses to disrupt abnormal activity and reduce seizure frequency.
- Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS)
- This epilepsy treatment involves a stimulator (or pulse generator) which is connected, inside the body, to the left vagus nerve in the neck. The stimulator sends regular, mild electrical stimulations through this nerve to help calm down the irregular electrical brain activity that leads to seizures.
Epilepsy-specific diets
Epilepsy diets are high in fat and low in carbohydrates. When using an epilepsy diet, your body burns fats for energy instead of carbohydrates—releasing ketones within the body that reduces the irritability of the brain reducing the frequency of seizures. An epilepsy diet will be selected during your initial visit with your registered dietitian. Diet options include:
- Modified Atkins Diet
- Low Glycemic Index
- Medium-Chain Triglyceride Diet
- Ketogenic Diet
Behavioral health programs
- Psychiatry and trauma-based therapy, including cognitive behavioral therapy are helpful options for those experiencing non-epileptic seizures and for those living with epilepsy, as 70 percent of those patients have a comorbid mood disorder.