Seizures of all types are caused by disorganized and sudden electrical activity in the brain. Seizures can take many forms, from staring spells to involuntary movements of the arms and legs. A number of health conditions cause seizures, including epilepsy, which is found in about 400,000 children in the U.S. With treatment, most kids with epilepsy are able to control their seizures and lead normal lives—some even outgrow it. Medication is the most common treatment for kids with epilepsy; following a special diet can also help manage epilepsy when it’s difficult to treat.
The neurosciences program at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital is designated a Level 4 epilepsy center by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC). We offer the highest level of care and treatment for patients with complex epilepsy and seizure disorders. Our comprehensive care includes a pediatric epilepsy monitoring unit for the evaluation of uncontrolled seizures in children suspected to have epilepsy; a dietary therapy clinic that offers support for families and kids on the ketogenic diet, the Modified Atkins Diet and others; and extensive inpatient, surgical and outpatient imaging procedures to help us understand what’s happening in your child’s brain.
Our pediatric neurologists are part of the only pediatric epilepsy program in West Michigan, and will work closely with your family to help improve your child’s health and quality of life.
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Treatment options
Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital has West Michigan’s only epilepsy care program for kids. Our team of neurologists and neurosurgeons can help children with epilepsy, including those whose epilepsy is difficult to control. Dr. Angel Hernandez, division chief for pediatric neurosciences, specializes in epilepsy and discusses treatment options including medication, surgery and ketogenic diet we can explore with patients and families.
Our six-bed epilepsy monitoring unit on Floor 10 of Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital is dedicated to continuous monitoring of the EEG and behavioral activity (using video technology) of children suspected to have epilepsy. Based on the results of your child’s EEG, our team will put together an individualized treatment plan to meet the special needs of your child.
Our first line of defense typically includes anti-seizure medicine, dietary changes and neurostimulation for older children. If your child’s seizures continue, our pediatric neurosurgeons are experienced and skilled in surgical techniques that can successfully and safely eliminate or reduce seizures. In fact, we pioneered the practice of brain mapping during epilepsy surgery, which helps us understand the functioning of the brain areas affected by the seizures. All of this helps us reach our goal of helping your child to live as normal a life as possible.
Brain surgery can be performed directly on the brain tissue when seizures or epilepsy can't be controlled using other treatments.
For some children, a high-protein, high-fat and low-carbohydrate diet helps manage epilepsy symptoms when medication alone doesn't work. We can help with Ketogenic diet, modified Atkins Diet and others.
This surgically implanted device works like a pacemaker in the neck. Children old enough to use it can activate it and stop a seizure as soon as they feel it begin.
Your pediatric neurologist may recommend child-appropriate medicine to control seizures.
Surgery for epilepsy
Surgery may be done to remove the part of the brain where the seizures are occurring or to help stop the spread of the abnormal electrical currents through the brain. Surgery may be an option if your child’s seizures are hard to control and always start in one part of the brain that doesn’t affect speech, memory or vision.
Surgery for epilepsy seizures is very complex. It is done by a specialized surgical team. Your child may be awake during the surgery. The brain itself does not feel pain. If your child is awake and able to follow commands, the surgeons are better able to check areas of his or her brain during the procedure. Surgery is not an option for everyone with seizures.
The corpus callosum is a part of the brain that mediates communication between the left and right hemispheres. Severing part or all of the corpus callosum can reduce the spread of seizures and the frequency of drop seizures. Other seizure types may also be reduced by this procedure.
This surgical procedure is used to treat patients with intractable epilepsy associated with an abnormal hemisphere of the brain. It is almost exclusively performed in children because their brains generally reorganize, allowing brain cells from the remaining hemisphere to take over the tasks from the lost hemisphere. In one study of children under age 5 who had this surgery, 73.7 percent were freed of all seizures.
Known as MRI-guided laser-induced thermal therapy (LITT), this procedure is used to destroy small brain lesions. Most patients have little or no hair removed and minimal sutures are required, sometimes just one stitch.
Some children with intractable epilepsy are born with brain malformations or slow-growing, benign tumors that should be removed. Children whose intractable epilepsy is caused by brain lesions may be freed of all seizures by removing these lesions.
Each brain hemisphere has four lobes, or areas in the brain. A lobectomy is the removal or disconnection of an entire lobe or part of a lobe that is producing seizures. Most lobectomies done in children are extratemporal (outside the temporal lobe).
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) sends small pulses of energy to the brain from one of the vagus nerves, a pair of large nerves in the neck. If your child is age 12 or older and has partial seizures that are not controlled well with medication, VNS may be an option.
The procedure involves placing a small battery into the chest wall. Small wires are attached to the battery and placed under the skin and around one of the vagus nerves. The battery is programmed to send energy impulses every few minutes to the brain. When your child feels a seizure coming on, he or she may activate the impulses by holding a small magnet over the battery. In many cases, this can help stop the seizure.
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