Pediatric Epilepsy Program

Dr. Dlouhy

Contact

Chiari and Craniovertebral

Medical Treatment / Nonsurgical Treatment

Newest anti-epileptic medications
Ketogenic diet

To make an appointment with the pediatric neurology team to be evaluated for seizures/epilepsy :

Appointment: 319-356-2229; Toll Free: 888-573-KIDS (5437)

Information about Pediatric Epilepsy

Click Here for a comprehensive review of pediatric epilepsy

Pediatric Epilepsy Program

Overview of the Program

The University of Iowa Children’s Hospital treats all types of pediatric epilepsy using combinations of the newest anti-epileptic medications and the most up to date surgical treatments. A multi-discipilinary approach is taken. Initially, all children are completely evaluated by the pediatric neurology team. Determining the type of seizures and etiology of the seizures is crucial to determining the treatment strategy. If the seizures are caused by a mass or lesion in the brain, the mass or lesion can be surgically resected. In this type of epilepsy, the chance of seizure freedom after surgery is very high (up to 80%). In other cases, a child may be found to have an epileptic syndrome or have seizures on just one side of the brain. Surgical treatment in this case may include a hemispherotomy . Other surgical treatments that decrease seizures include corpus callosotomy and vagus nerve stimulation.

If on the initial evaluation, the seizures are not caused by a lesion or mass or localized area, the seizures can be treated with antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). In these cases, AEDs are used as the first line of treatment. Approximately 50% of children with epilepsy will achieve seizure freedom with their first medication. Another 15% will become seizure-free with a second medication. 15-30% of children with epilepsy will remain medically intractable and will continue to have seizures.

When medication fails to completely prevent seizures, even if it's just 1-2 seizures every couple months, children will undergo further evaluation for surgical treatment. The advancements in neurosurgery and neuroanesthesia over the last 30 years has dramatically decreased the risk of undergoing surgery for the treatment of epilepsy. Multiple studies have shown that surgery can allow for many children with epilepsy to be seizure free. The earlier children with medically refractory epilepsy are evaluated, the sooner we can take steps to treat them properly.

Surgeries Dr. Dlouhy Performs

Temporal lobe resections
Extra-temporal lobe resections
Selective mesial temporal lobe resection

(amygdalohippocampectomy)
Lesional resections
Tumor resections
Hemispherotomy (functional)
Corpus callosotomy – complete and partial
Vagus Nerve stimulation
Invasive subdural grid and strip and depth

electrode placement for seizure localization

Conditions Dr. Dlouhy Treats

Complex partial epilepsy
Medically intractable epilepsy
Temporal lobe epilepsy
Extra-temporal lobe epilepsy
Lesional epilepsy
Post-traumatic epilepsy

Rasmussen's Encephalitis

Hemimegalencephaly

MCA infarct mediated epilepsy