Get Care
Epileptic Encephalopathy
Treating Epileptic Encephalopathy
Pediatric Epileptic Encephalopathy
Pediatric epileptic encephalopathy is a condition where the epileptic activity contributes to the neurological and cognitive impairment experienced over and above what would be expected from the underlying illness alone. There is no cure for pediatric Epileptic Encephalopathy(EE).
Treatment depends on what’s causing encephalopathy. Encephalopathy, is a term used to describe significant developmental delay or even loss of developmental skills that accompanies the illness. The goal of treating epileptic encephalopathies is to control the seizures and prevent or reverse cognitive and behavioral deficits and neurologic loss of function when possible. Early treatment is associated with both better seizure control and cognitive outcomes.
FAN
Our Fast Access Neurology (FAN) Service ensures a clinic visit
with an expert pediatric neurologist within
24 to 72 hours after referral or initial contact with the Children’s Brain Institute.
Seizure Control
Seizure control is secondary to the goal of treating the underlying EEG and preventing/reversing the loss of neurologic function. Along with traditional antiepileptic drugs, hormonal and immune therapies are at the forefront of treatment in many cases. AEDs often interact poorly with each other, and the physician must be knowledgeable about such drug interactions when selecting a new medication. Surgical procedures, such as hemispherectomy, multiple subpial transections, focal epilepsy surgery, or corpus callosotomy, are performed in selected patients. Vagus nerve stimulator therapy offers some relief in selected patients. The ketogenic diet is offered to some children who have seizures while on anti-seizure medications.
There is reversible encephalopathy, such as from infections, organ failure, or metabolic conditions, symptoms usually go away when the problem that’s causing them is under control. Some patients will regain their previous mental abilities. Irreversible epileptic encephalopathies worsen over time leading to progressive cerebral dysfunction.
Early treatment is associated with both better seizure control and cognitive outcomes.
Accepted Health Insurance Types
Various health insurance types are accepted, including Medicare and most HMO and PPO insurance.
Call (781) 863-0007 or click to request a same-day appointment.