Causes
The causes of epilepsy differ from person to person, with almost half of people never knowing the cause. In others, the causes may include:
- Genetics
- Brain trauma
- Autoimmune disorder
- Metabolic issues
- Infectious disease
- Tumors
- Toxins
- Stroke
- Substance use
Diagnosis
Summa Health uses numerous tools to help diagnose epilepsy. When you schedule an appointment at the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, you will have a consultation with an epilepsy specialist. The consultation may include scalp electroencephalography (EEG) testing to record electrical brain activity. High-resolution neuroimaging is also used to identify subtle structural causes of epilepsy. 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. The EMU is staffed 24/7 by skilled EEG technologists and technicians. 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.
