Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a serious neurological disorder that affects more than 2.5 million Americans. The disease is characterized by abnormal electrical activity in the brain that causes unpredictable, recurrent seizures. With appropriate diagnosis, comprehensive care and treatment, seizures can be greatly reduced in many patients and sometimes even eliminated.

Nikesh Ardeshna, MD, neurologist/epileptologist, Indiana Neuroscience Associates; and Katherine Kobza, MD, neurologist/epileptologist, Josephson Wallack Munshower Neurology

Epilepsy Center

The Epilepsy Center at the St.Vincent Neuroscience Institute specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy and seizure disorders, offering state-of-the-art medical and surgical treatment for the management of epilepsy in adults, teens and children. Our goal is to diagnosis and classify a person’s seizure or epilepsy type so the best treatment plan can be developed.

Team Approach

At the Epilepsy Center, patients benefit from a multidisciplinary team of experienced professionals including:

Neuro 5 In Patient Unit

• Neurologists specializing in epilepsy (epileptologists)
• Neurosurgeons
• Specially trained nurses
• Neuropsychologists
• Registered EEG technologists with experience and training in video EEG monitoring

Our specialists evaluate and treat a broad spectrum of seizure and epilepsy patients, including patients with:

• New onset seizures
• Well-controlled epilepsy
• Epileptic seizures that have not responded to medical treatments
• Medical conditions that mimic epileptic seizures
• Non-epileptic seizures

Getting the Right Diagnosis

Because an accurate diagnosis is critical, we use the most advanced diagnostic technology available to classify and determine the cause of a seizure or epilepsy, including:

• Digital, long-term video EEG monitoring and a dedicated in-hospital Epilepsy Monitoring Unit for around-the-clock evaluation of brain activity and physical movements.
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) with advanced imaging techniques for patients with seizures.
• 24-hour ambulatory EEG monitoring, a portable device that records brain activity.
• Positron Emission Tomography (PET) that provides an image of the metabolic state of the brain.
• Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to track blood flow through the brain to identify the location of seizure activity.

Learn More About Epilepsy

Epilepsy Fact Sheet (available to download and print)