Pediatric Epilepsy Treatments
Partner with our compassionate pediatric neurologists for a broad range of treatment options when your child has epilepsy or a complex seizure disorder. Your child will get a personalized plan to treat and effectively control epilepsy and improve his or her life.
Epilepsy and seizure treatments at University Children’s Health may include one or a combination of:
- Medications
- Dietary therapy, such as the ketogenic diet, to help control seizures
- Seizure devices
- Surgical treatment
Seizure Devices: When Medications Do Not Work
Medication works well for many children with epilepsy to prevent or minimize seizures. Some children with complex neurological conditions do not respond well to medication.
When medications do not work, your doctor may recommend a surgical procedure to implant a device to prevent abnormal brain activity. The seizure devices work by sending small electrical pulses to the nervous system.
Implantable neurostimulation devices that work for epilepsy include:
- Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS)
- Responsive neurostimulation (RNS) system
- Deep brain stimulation (DBS)
Epilepsy Procedures & Surgery
Surgery may be effective for certain types of epilepsy. Common surgeries aim to reduce or stop seizures when medications do not help.
Our surgeons will take every precaution to ensure surgery is safe for your child. To assist with this, your child's doctor may order tests like a functional MRI (fMRI), Wada test or transcranial magnetic stimulation.
A functional MRI identifies the areas of the brain responsible for language and motor functions.
The Wada test evaluates how each side of the brain responds to language and memory tasks. These tests guide the surgical plan to minimize the impact on brain function.
Other tests will help identify the area of the brain most involved in the seizure onset. These tests include:
- High-density EEG
- Ictal/interictal SPECT with subtraction
- Interictal brain PET
Effective surgeries and minimally invasive procedures for epilepsy are:
- Resection which removes the part of the brain where the seizure starts
- Disconnection of the area where the seizure starts in the brain
- Laser ablation, also known as laser interstitial thermal therapy, delivers heat to destroy a small area of brain cells causing seizures
Online Resources
Learn more from the following epilepsy and seizure-related websites:
- Epilepsy Foundation of Central and South Texas
- Epilepsy Foundation of America
- Charlie Foundation for ketogenic diet information
- TSC Alliance for tuberous sclerosis complex information
