Epilepsy and Seizures
Expert Care for Epilepsy in New Jersey
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that makes an individual more susceptible to seizures. This condition can be life-threatening, which is why seeking medical treatment immediately after suffering a seizure is important.
Our skilled neurologists will perform a thorough screening to determine the cause of the seizure and develop a treatment plan so you can prevent another one from occurring.
Several of our facilities offer access to the Epilepsy Monitoring Program. This program uses advanced technology to monitor the brain in order to figure out why the seizure occurred and to diagnose epilepsy. We offer advanced neurosurgical solutions to epilepsy symptoms. And we provide comprehensive, lifelong care for patients who suffer from seizure disorders.
What Is a Seizure?
A seizure is a sudden burst of electrical activity in the brain that causes the body to act erratically and uncontrollably. A number of factors may be responsible for a seizure occurring, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact cause without a thorough examination. If a person has one seizure, it is very likely that they will have another within 6 months without treatment.
Seizures affect everyone differently. While you may have a mental image of someone writhing on the floor, seizures can be far more subtle, and may even go unnoticed by the person having them.
Our neurologists and neurosurgeons are experienced handling all types of seizure forms, including:
- Benign Rolandic epilepsy
- Childhood absence epilepsy
- Febrile seizures
- Frontal lobe epilepsy
- Hypothalamic hamartoma
- Infantile spasms
- Juvenile absence epilepsy
- Landau-Kleffner syndrome
- Lennox-Gastaut syndrome
- Mitochondrial disorders
- Progressive myoclonic epilepsies
- Rasmussen's syndrome
- Reflex epilepsies
- Ring chromosome 20 syndrome
- Temporal lobe epilepsy
Seizure Symptoms
How can you tell if someone is having a seizure?
Generally, the following are possible indicators that someone is having, or recently had a seizure:
- Strange, unresponsive behavior seemingly out of nowhere
- Eyes rolling upward
- Sudden alertness after a brief period of nonresponsive behavior
- They feel a tingling or numb sensation in parts of the body
- Sudden muscle spasms and uncontrollable jerking of the arms or legs
Different types of seizures have different symptoms:
- Simple partial seizures. In these seizures, a person may notice changes in the way they feel and perceive things; sights, smells and tastes may all feel different. This type of seizure also causes nausea and dilated pupils, but not loss of consciousness.
- Complex partial seizures. This seizure can result in loss of consciousness and involuntary movement, such as smacking lips, swallowing, or moving limbs. Some patients report feeling a sensation of déjà vu when these seizures strike.
- Petit mal (Absence seizures). These seizures typically affect children and often stop by age 20. Not all seizures involve movement, in absence seizures, the person sits still and appears to be daydreaming.
- Myoclonic seizures. A common seizure that involves muscle twitches and involuntary movement of the legs and arms.
- Atonic seizures. This seizure, which strikes without warning, causes the person to go limp all at once. Loss of consciousness is also common.
- Grand mal (tonic-clonic). These seizures are most often caused by gliomas, a type of brain tumor. During this attack, a person may lose bladder control, have difficulty breathing, and experience muscle contractions. Loss of consciousness typically occurs afterward.
If you recognize the signs of a seizure, consult with a doctor immediately and get their take on whether the event was a true seizure.
Epilepsy Causes
Epilepsy can occur randomly in people, though it typically manifests between the ages of 10 and 60, and most often in families in which there is a history of the disease.
Epilepsy can also be caused by a traumatic shock to the body, such as:
- Brain injury
- Dementia
- Diabetes complications
- Infections
- Poisoning
- Stroke
- Substance abuse
A person who suffers from one seizure has a high chance of developing epilepsy.
Epilepsy Diagnosis
If you or a loved one recently suffered a seizure, it is best to consult with an epilepsy specialist for a diagnosis.
Diagnosing this disorder requires a full evaluation. Your evaluation may include:
- Blood tests
- Neuropsychological tests
- Neurological exam
- Single-photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT)
- Positron emission tomography (PET)
- Functional MRI (fMRI)
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Computerized tomography (CT) scan
- Electroencephalogram (EEG)
- High-density EEG
Epilepsy Treatment and Seizure Prevention
A thorough neurodiagnostic assessment will need to be performed before epilepsy treatment can begin. Once your neurologist has determined the underlying cause of your condition, they can start prescribing treatment.
An epilepsy management plan may involve:
- Antiepileptic drugs. There are several types of anti-seizure medications. Which type your doctor prescribes will depend on your specific condition. Medication may be so effective that the patient can stop taking it after a few seizure-free years.
- Dietary changes. Ketogenic diets have proven to be useful for preventing seizures in children. These diets are low in carbs and high in protein. This diet is effective because it releases ketones into the body, which shifts the body’s primary fuel source from carbohydrates to fats.
- Nerve stimulation. Vagus nerve stimulation is a procure in which the vagus nerves are stimulated with electrical impulses. In this treatment, an implant is placed into the patient and releases electrical impulses when abnormal brain behavior occurs, suppressing the activity and preventing seizures.
- Brain surgery. In situations where medication and less-invasive treatment proves ineffective, brain surgery may be recommended. In this procedure, the brain cells sending out abnormal signals are removed. Both open surgery and minimally invasive gamma knife surgery are capable of performing this procedure. Our skilled neurosurgeons, in collaboration with our neurologists, use the latest technology to ensure the greatest accuracy and least invasive methods that suit each individual patient’s situation, from the use of intraoperative MRI to robotic surgery.
Anyone who has had a seizure should wear a medical alert bracelet and inform friends and family of what to do in case of an emergency.
What to Do in the Event of a Seizure
Seizures, no matter how small, require immediate medical attention. Contact an emergency service as soon as possible when someone exhibits seizure symptoms.
While waiting for an ambulance to arrive to help someone having a seizure, you can help keep them safe by having them lie down and putting something soft under their head.
Contact Us
If you or a loved one are seeking diagnosis and treatment for epilepsy or a seizure disorder, make an appointment with one of our neurologists today.
