Epilepsy is a chronic neurological condition in which seizures recur. Seizures happen when nerve cells in the brain fire electrical impulses in an abnormal way. Since nerve cells in the various parts of the brain have different functions, the outward appearance of a seizure can include anything from jerking, numbness, tingling, changes in vision or other senses, confusion, “zoning out” or falling.
Other neurological or non-neurological conditions can mimic seizures. Making the correct diagnosis is crucial for doctors to provide the appropriate treatment.
At the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at Sinai Hospital, a program of the LifeBridge Health Brain & Spine Institute, a team of medical experts uses the latest diagnostic equipment to evaluate and treat seizures and epilepsy.
Saurabh R. Sinha, M.D., Ph.D., and P. Jay Foreman, M.D., Ph.D., coordinate the care of patients with seizures and epilepsy. The Epilepsy Monitoring Unit allows doctors to observe and record the brain waves of patients experiencing seizures or seizure-like behaviors in a comfortable, relaxed setting. Patients stay in a private room and are free to move about while attached to a minimal amount of medical monitoring equipment.
Patients generally stay for three to seven days in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit.
“We encourage people to come in if their physician thinks they are experiencing seizures, but is not sure,” Sinha says. “Also, if people with seizures are not responding well to medication, we try to answer two questions by testing: Is the diagnosis correct and what kind of seizures are they having?”
If the diagnosis is epilepsy, the patient is not alone. There are 2.7 million people who live with epilepsy in the United States. At Sinai, doctors benefit from knowing the exact type of seizures and where the seizures originate in the brain. This lets them find better ways to treat patients who may not be responding to medical therapies.
When doctors can determine the precise spot in the brain where seizures begin, and when medications fail to stop seizure activity, there is still hope. Removal of the malfunctioning area of the brain can often control the seizures. Often, an approved surgical device called the Vagus Nerve Stimulator (VNS) can effectively reduce the number of seizures.
The information obtained during a stay in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit is essential in determining if a patient is a candidate for one of these procedures.
“For the majority of patients with epilepsy, seizures can be controlled through medical devices, drugs or surgery,” Sinha says. “More importantly, for many people there are nonmedical therapies. We do testing to figure out what is appropriate for a particular person.”
For more information about the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at Sinai Hospital, call 410-601-WELL (9355).
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