Posted: 9/13/2017
Challenging condition affects more than 2 million in U.S.
The epilepsy program at Parkland Health & Hospital System has received accreditation as a level 4 epilepsy center for 2017-2018 by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC). Level 4 epilepsy centers have the expertise and facilities to provide the highest level of medical and surgical care for patients with the most challenging types of epilepsy. Parkland has been a certified level 4 center since the inception of NAEC in 2001.
“The goal of the Parkland Epilepsy Program is to stop seizures and give patients their life back,” said Barbara Voth, Department Manager of the Parkland Epilepsy Center/ Clinical Neurophysiology Laboratory. “More than 2 million people in the U.S. have epilepsy and approximately 30 percent do not respond to anti-seizure medications. Our physicians and staff are dedicated to finding help for our patients. Each epilepsy patient is unique and we don’t give up until we find the right treatment for them.”
Evaluation of an epilepsy disorder begins in Parkland’s outpatient epilepsy clinic where neurologists review a patient’s history, basic study results (brain MRI and EEG) and perform a neurologic exam. In FY 2016, there were approximately 3,000 epilepsy seizure disorder visits.
If patients are not responding to anti-seizure medications, they are referred to the Parkland Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, a 12-room inpatient facility with state-of-the-art EEG, video and computer capabilities where each patient is monitored by continuous video and EEG. Anti-seizure medications are withdrawn carefully in order to witness the patient’s actual seizures, with the hope of localizing the seizure focus and ultimately stopping the seizures forever.
“Parkland’s state-of-the-art diagnostic technology allows us to pinpoint the precise areas of the brain causing seizures and determine a treatment plan,” said Mark Agostini, MD, Medical Director of the Epilepsy Program at Parkland and Associate Professor of Neurology & Neurotherapeutics at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
“Registered nurses and EEG technologists are present 24 hours a day to ensure our patients’ safety,” Voth said. “All rooms are single with a private bathroom and a separate bed for one member of the patient’s family to stay with their loved one during their evaluation.”
Most of the approximately 400 patients admitted each year to Parkland’s epilepsy unit are new onset seizures and/or patients who need a diagnostic evaluation. Diagnostic tests include MRI, fMRI, SPECT, PET scan, neuropsychological tests and more. The multidisciplinary care team includes specially trained nurses and diagnostic technologists, neurosurgeons, neuroradiologists, neuropsychologists and social workers who specialize in epilepsy care. Support groups and educational events are also offered.
For more information about services at Parkland hospital, visit www.parklandhospital.com. For more information about the Parkland Epilepsy Center, please call 469-419-4999. To make an outpatient appointment, call 214-590-5689.
Photo credit: Architect: HDR + Corgan © 2015 Dan Schwalm/HDR