Epilepsy Surgery Clinic
Epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological disorder in the U.S., with one of 26 people diagnosed during their lifetime. The prevalence of epilepsy is greater than autism, cerebral palsy, Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis combined. More than 25 percent of patients will become "medically intractable" or resistant to treatment and should be evaluated for other treatment options to control seizures.
The Cook Children's Epilepsy Surgery Clinic is available to serve children who are candidates for epilepsy surgery or who have undergone epilepsy surgery. In this clinic, the family has an opportunity to meet with members of our Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, including their epileptologist, neurosurgeon, neuropsychologist and epilepsy coordinator prior to and after surgery. The clinic team meets on the second and fourth Mondays of the month from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Cook Children's is a recognized Level 4 epilepsy center. The National Association of Epilepsy Centers recognizes Cook Children's Comprehensive Epilepsy Program as a Level 4 Pediatric Epilepsy Center. Level 4 epilepsy centers have the professional expertise and facilities to provide the highest level medical and surgical evaluation and treatment for patients with complex epilepsy.
Meet our epilepsy surgery clinicians
Depending on your child's particular condition and type of surgery, the following testing may be performed:
- EEG/VEEG (version in Espanol)
- PET (positron emission tomography)
- SPECT (single photon emission computerized tomography)
- MRI
- Functional MRI
- MEG (Magnetoencephalography)
The surgery and treatment options your child undergoes will depend on his or her condition and diagnosis:
- Epilepsy surgery
- Corpus callosotomy
- Hemispherectomy
- Laser ablation surgery
- Lesional and non-lesional brain resections
- Lesionectomy
- Lobectomy
- Multiple sub-pial transections
- Vagus nerve stimulator implantation (versión en español)
- Dietary Management
- Ketogenic Diet
- Modified Atkins Diet
- Low-Glycemic Index Diet
To assure the best possible outcomes based on your child's diagnosis, we work closely other members of the neurosciences team, including:
- Neurology epileptologists
- Neurosurgery
- Neuropsychology
We're here to help.
If your child has been diagnosed, you probably have lots of questions. We can help. If you would like to schedule an appointment, refer a patient or speak to our staff, please call our offices at 682-303-2650.