Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery

Some children who have partial (focal) seizures may be candidates for RNS. First, a neurosurgeon implants a small stimulation device in the skull bone beneath your child's scalp. Up to two EEG leads are placed in or on the brain at the precisely identified seizure source(s). Then they are connected to the stimulator. Once powered, the stimulator monitors and records electrical activity in the brain. When the device detects abnormal activity, it delivers a mild electrical shock to stop the seizure. With RNS, your child will not be aware when a seizure is detected or interrupted.

RNS may be an option when:

• Medication is not effective
• Seizures originate from more than one source
• The seizure origin(s) are in brain tissue that cannot be safely removed

Our epilepsy team is the first in Illinois to offer MRI-guided SEEG and laser ablation surgery. If your child has a single, well-defined seizure focus, we may be able to use this minimally invasive procedure to safely and effectively eliminate the brain tissue where the seizures originate.

During the SEEG procedure, your child’s surgeons place electrodes into the brain to monitor brain activity and precisely locate the seizure focus. The neurosurgeon then eradicates the seizure source with pinpoint accuracy, using a tiny laser applicator in the MRI scanner. Continuous real-time imaging allows the neurosurgeon to monitor the effects of the treatment.

With SEEG and laser ablation, we are able to precisely identify and target the seizure source while preserving as much of the surrounding healthy brain tissue as possible. This can also minimize side effects.

Using highly focused X-rays, your child’s neurosurgeon applies high doses of radiation directly into the epileptic focus. This minimally invasive procedure destroys the targeted area without damaging the healthy brain tissue around it.

Stereotactic radiosurgery is a particularly effective treatment for gelastic seizures (laughing seizures) and dacrystic seizures (crying seizures), which are most commonly associated with a benign brain tumor called a hypothalamic hamartoma.

• In children who have very frequent and severe seizures with extensive damage in the affected hemisphere
• In infants and children who are still capable of growing brain tissue to replace what has been removed
• When less aggressive surgeries won’t work
• When the benefits outweigh the risks