Epilepsy and Seizure Disorders

Diagnosis

To determine the type, cause and location of your seizures, our epileptologists will evaluate your health history, perform neurological and neuropsychological exams, and order diagnostic tests, which may include:

• Blood tests. Blood tests may help your physician diagnose health conditions that cause seizures.
• Electroencephalogram (EEG) exams. EEG exams measure electrical activity in the brain using state-of-the-art computerized video telemetry equipment to determine which part of the brain is causing seizures. We perform all types of EEG exams, including routine EEG, 24-hour ambulatory EEG, video EEG monitoring and EEG monitoring with implanted electrodes.
• We offer a full range of neuroimaging tests that can identify abnormalities in the brain that may be causing seizures, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional MRI (fMRI), positron emission tomography (PET) and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scans.

Seizure assessment and diagnostic testing for adults is performed in our Adult Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at the Mark D. Schlesinger Pavilion at Hackensack University Medical Center.

The Pediatric Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at the Joseph Sanzari Children’s Hospital is the only epilepsy monitoring unit in New Jersey dedicated exclusively for seizure assessment and diagnostic testing of pediatric patients.

Treatment

After diagnosing your condition, our health care providers will work with you to develop a treatment plan that provides optimal seizure control and restores your quality of life. Treatment options may include:

Nonsurgical Treatment

• A range of medications are used to treat seizures and epilepsy. Your health care provider will help you find the best medication for you. Our team members will also provide follow-up care to ensure that you experience the best possible seizure control with minimal side effects.
• Alternative therapies. Your specialists may recommend alternative therapies, such as hormonal treatment.
• Diet Therapy. Dietary modification is a powerful treatment for epilepsy and may be useful in addition to medication or other therapies.  The modified Atkins and ketogenic diets are high-fat and low-carbohydrate diets specifically designed to control seizures.  Our registered dietitians can work closely with our epileptologists to design a specific dietary plan for you.
• Supportive care. Our team includes counseling psychologists and social workers who will work with you to manage depression, anxiety and other challenges that may arise during your epilepsy treatment.

Surgical Treatment

If your seizures are not well controlled by medication, your physician may recommend surgery. Resective surgeries remove the area of the brain that is causing seizures. Other procedures limit the spread of seizure currents or abort them with an electrical current after they begin.

Our neurosurgeons offer a full range of surgical procedures, including the latest minimally invasive surgical procedures to diagnose and treat refractory epilepsy, including:

• Stereotactic EEG brain mapping
• Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT)
• Responsive neurostimulation
• Deep brain stimulation
• Vagus nerve stimulation
• Stereoelectrocephalography-guided respective surgery

Research

Our epilepsy physicians are widely published and regularly present research at national conferences. Our commitment to research allows us to offer some of the most promising new surgical and nonsurgical treatments to our patients years before they become widely available.