Pediatric Epilepsy Program at Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia
Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia is a Level 4 Comprehensive Epilepsy Center. We help children with epilepsy achieve their full potential with advanced treatment options including epilepsy surgery.
Multidisciplinary Epilepsy Care for Children
Expert pediatric epilepsy care
Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia is one of the longest-established pediatric epilepsy programs in the U.S. Since 1980, we’ve been finding new ways to manage epilepsy symptoms and help children achieve their full potential. The National Association of Epilepsy Centers recognizes our Pediatric Epilepsy Program as a Level 4 Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, the highest achievable designation.As one of only a few such programs in the Southeast, we recognize that treatment for kids and teens is different from adults due to their ongoing brain development. That’s why our pediatric epilepsy team offers comprehensive care specific to kids, including advanced testing and treatment options ranging from drug therapy to epilepsy surgery. Our young patients and their families benefit from:
- Access to highly skilled pediatric specialists working together for you. This team includes epileptologists—pediatric neurologists with additional training and expertise, functional neurosurgeons, neuroradiologists, neuro psychologists, clinical psychologists, pediatric neuroscience nurses and EEG technologists.
- The most up-to-date technology and treatments.
- Epilepsy research and clinical trials through our exclusive partnership with Medical College of Georgia.
- Streamlined eligibility determination pathway to surgery.
- Neuropsychological and psychosocial treatment and therapy.
- Extensive, specialized nursing care.
- Electroencephalogram (EEG) and stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG) technology for a full range of diagnostic services, medical treatments and surgical procedures.
Our pediatric epilepsy team
Epilepsy care for children needs to include monitoring, pediatric-specific medications and surgical options that are appropriate for each child at their individual phase of growth and development. To ensure your child has this high level of care, Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia employs board-certified pediatric neurologists and neurosurgeons who have advanced training in the care of epilepsy for children.
These doctors are known as epileptologists. They have at least two extra years of specialized training in the medical, psychological, social and educational issues affecting children with epilepsy. Their extensive experience and expertise allow them to better determine an accurate diagnosis and the optimum treatment plan for your child as soon as possible. Especially with children, determining a treatment plan in a timely manner is important because any neurological issue can impact growth and development milestones.
Pediatric epilepsy diagnostic tests & procedures
Our expert team carefully evaluates and reviews treatment options to determine the best care plan for each child. We assess the cause, frequency, severity and duration of the child’s seizures as well as the area of the brain where they start. We use EEG testing to monitor the brain’s activity and evaluate baseline cognitive function. We also offer stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG), a minimally invasive, computer-guided surgical procedure that uses electrodes to pinpoint the origin of epileptic seizures in the brain.Pediatric EEG Lab
The Pediatric EEG Lab at Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia is uniquely designed and staffed by physicians, nurses and technologists specially trained to care for kids. EEG is a painless test that records the brain's electrical activity through electrodes attached to the head. It helps doctors determine if the brain's electrical activity is causing seizures. A board-certified pediatric neurologist reads each EEG test. As part of our commitment to patient- and family-centered care, parents are encouraged to accompany their child to their test. Our team members will explain each step of the procedure.Pediatric epilepsy treatment
The pediatric epilepsy team can help your family determine the right care path for seizure management, which may include medications, diet changes, surgery or a combination of therapies.The same team who helped diagnose your child will see your child regularly and get to know your child. We’ll work with your family to learn what is working and what needs to be adjusted to restore or improve your child’s quality of life. We can bring together other pediatric specialists for integrated care when needed.
Pediatric epilepsy surgery
In some cases, our skilled pediatric epilepsy surgeons can provide the best solution to reduce or stop refractory seizures—seizures that are resistant to drugs. If a family opts for their child to have surgery, our pediatric epilepsy surgeon employs several surgical techniques, including:
- Interrupting the seizure network and slowing or stopping seizure activity
- Implanting a device to control seizures
- Removing the seizure focus—the area of the brain where seizures originate
Support services
Support services are a vital part of your child's care. Depending on their unique treatment plan, children with epilepsy and their families benefit from:
- Patient- and family-centered care
- Certified Child Life Specialists who help children navigate life’s most challenging healthcare moments—helping kids understand and cope with unfamiliar or scary situations
- Pet therapy, featuring friendly dogs who offer calming comfort, affection and support to patients and their families
- Close access to Ronald McDonald House of Augusta—only steps from Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia—offering a home away from home for patient families who live at least 25 miles from Augusta