Pediatric Epilepsy and Seizures
When your child is facing epilepsy or a seizure disorder, you’ll do anything to give them their life back. With the Charlotte region’s largest pediatric epilepsy team on your side, Atrium Health Levine Children’s is here to help you do just that. Using the latest testing and technologies, we get to the root of your child’s condition and deliver advanced treatments to control – or even cure – their seizures.
In addition to our Level 4 epilepsy monitoring unit, which is the highest level of accreditation possible, we also have the only dedicated pediatric epilepsy monitoring unit in the region. From dietary changes all the way to complex surgery, we’re focused on what’s right for your child to limit side effects, maximize development and give them the best life possible.
Appointments are by referral only. Ask your child’s doctor if our program is right for them.
Learn more about pediatric epilepsy care at Atrium Health Levine Children’s.
Why choose Atrium Health Levine Children’s
- Highest level of monitoring: In addition to our Level 4 epilepsy monitoring unit in Charlotte, we have the only dedicated pediatric epilepsy monitoring unit in the region. Located at Atrium Health Levine Children’s Jeff Gordon Children Center in Concord, it has a playroom and teen room with video EEG capabilities. This gives children the freedom to spend time outside of their rooms, while receiving complex care.
- Expert care team: Our pediatric epilepsy team is the largest in the Charlotte region, with pediatric epileptologists, neuropsychologists and neuroradiologists, as well as our fellowship-trained partners in pediatric neurosurgery. Additionally, we have child life specialists and nurse navigators, who help patients and their families cope with the complexities of epilepsy care.
- Nationally accredited care: In addition to our accredited epilepsy monitoring units, The Joint Commission Disease-Specific Certification for Epilepsy and the American Board of Registered Evoked Potential and Electroencephalographic Technologists (ABRET) recognize us among centers nationwide that offer the highest level of pediatric epilepsy care.
- Award-winning neurology and neurosurgery: All pediatric epilepsy care across Atrium Health Levine Children’s is backed by the strength and expertise of Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital. It’s the only children’s hospital in the Charlotte region awarded by U.S. News & World Report and is nationally ranked in multiple specialties, including neurology and neurosurgery.
Epilepsy conditions we treat
We treat a wide range of epilepsy in children, from kids who have just had their first seizure to kids who have had them all their life. By knowing the exact cause of your child’s seizures, we can determine the most appropriate treatment plan to control them.
Some pediatric epilepsy and pediatric seizure disorders we treat include:
- Temporal lobe epilepsy
- Childhood absence epilepsy
- Infantile spasms, or West syndrome
- Febrile seizure
- Dravet syndrome
- Lennox-Gastaut syndrome
- Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy
- Benign rolandic epilepsy
- Landau-Kleffner syndrome
- Panayiotopoulos syndrome
Pediatric epilepsy diagnosis and testing
First, we need to find out exactly where your child’s seizures are coming from. To do this, we utilize advanced diagnostic tools, including:
- Imaging: Neuroimaging lets us take pictures of your child’s brain to find the root of their seizures and track changes. With specialists trained in epilepsy imaging, including MRI, PET and SPECT scans, we’ll help identify the best treatment approach for your child.
- Electroencephalogram (EEG): The most common diagnostic tool for epilepsy, an EEG is a safe, painless test that uses electrodes to monitor your child’s brain activity and detect abnormalities. For more in-depth monitoring, we can use 24-hour video EEG in the hospital, and in some patients, it can be performed at home to capture what happens when your child has a seizure.
- Intracranial EEG (iEEG): During this procedure, our neurosurgeons place electrodes in or on the surface of your child’s brain to detect brain activity and pinpoint where their seizures begin.
- Stereo-EEG (SEEG): We are one of the first programs in the Southeast to offer SEEG, a minimally invasive approach that helps us see exactly where your child’s seizures originate.
- Brain mapping: Brain mapping is an important step before any epilepsy surgery. It’s a procedure that lets us examine specific areas of your child’s brain and determine a surgical approach that won’t interfere with their brain function.
- Wada testing: Before epilepsy surgery, a Wada test helps us learn how your child’s brain controls language and memory and how surgery might impact that.
- Neuropsychological testing: A routine part of epilepsy testing, neuropsychological testing examines everything from your child’s memory to their motor skills, helping us diagnose what type of seizure disorder they have.
Pediatric epilepsy treatments
Every child’s experience with epilepsy is unique. Once we diagnose and better understand your child’s seizure activity, we work with your family to decide next steps. We’ll help you understand all your options and pick the best choice for your child.
Our treatment options include:
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Medication
Often seizures can be controlled with medication or a combination of medications. We’ll work to find what’s best for your child, with as few side effects as possible.
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Dietary therapy
Your child’s care team includes a pediatric dietitian specialized in the ketogenic diet, a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that’s been shown to reduce the frequency of seizures.
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Surgery
If surgery is the most appropriate option for your child, we provide a range of complex procedures with our partner neurosurgeons. These surgeons are highly experienced in focal resection, hemispherectomy, laser ablation and more – and use a state-of-the-art robotic system for precision.
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Neurostimulation
If your child doesn’t respond to medication, devices like vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), responsive neurostimulation (RNS) and deep brain stimulation (DBS) might be an option. They work like a computer system in your child’s brain that records their brain activity and uses electrical pulses to control their seizures.
Your child should see an epilepsy specialist when they have failed 2 or more seizure medications, or if they’re experiencing developmental regression, severe side effects or more complex epilepsy.
Epilepsy is almost always diagnosed through a series of imaging, tests and lab work. Although an EEG is one of the most common epilepsy tests, your child’s doctor will determine if they need additional workups to provide an accurate diagnosis.
There are 4 levels of epilepsy monitoring units, with Level 4 being the highest. We have a Level 4 epilepsy monitoring unit at Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, where we perform leading-edge surgeries for our most complex patients.
We also have a Level 3 pediatric epilepsy monitoring unit at Atrium Health Levine Children’s Jeff Gordon Children’s Center in Concord. It's the only dedicated pediatric epilepsy monitoring unit in the region and provides exceptional care in a kid-centric environment, which includes pediatric providers and special touches that help families feel at home.
When your child is at an epilepsy monitoring unit, they’ll receive 24-hour monitoring of their brain and seizure activity. Though both of our epilepsy monitoring units provide a family-friendly experience, our dedicated pediatric epilepsy monitoring unit is designed especially for kids. In addition to pediatric providers and child life specialists, it has a playroom and teen room with EEG capabilities so patients can spend time outside their rooms.
To help you prepare, we’ll provide a brochure with all the information you need. It’ll give you a good idea of what to expect and help you answer additional questions you might have.
We want your child to feel at home, which is why we’ll likely ask about their interests and what helps distract them during tests, like favorite characters, hobbies or music. Then we’ll work with child life specialists to make sure some of your child’s favorite things are in their room when they arrive.
We’ll also let you know how mobile your child can be during their stay. Some patients get to maintain the same activity they do at home, while others might be limited to stretching and lighter movements.
Like any medication, epilepsy medications can come with side effects. However, our goal is to find the seizure-controlling medication that results in minimal side effects and helps your child feel like themselves.
For some children, pediatric epilepsy can be cured with the right combination of treatments. However, for children whose epilepsy cannot be cured, our goal is to provide them the best seizure control and quality of life possible.
We treat children of all ages, from newborns to age 18. As your child grows up, we seamlessly transition them to adult epilepsy care at Atrium Health Neurosciences Institute.
There’s no one-size-fits-all for pediatric epilepsy and seizure disorders. We work to find the treatment for your child that cures or controls their seizures and gives them the greatest quality of life, with minimal side effects.
Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) preparation for pediatric patients
Learn what Atrium Health Levine Children's patients and parents or guardians can expect during admission to the EMU.
For referring providers
We’re here to work with you to provide your patient with the highest level of care. To refer a patient to our program, call 704-403-2660.
Meet a patient
Helping Isaac build a seizure-free future
Isaac had his first seizure when he was 8. Since undergoing focal resection surgery to remove the part of his brain where his seizures start, he’s been seizure-free – and free to just be a kid.
Read moreOur pediatric epilepsy team
In addition to our pediatric epileptologists, neuropsychologists and neuroradiologists, we have expert pediatric neurosurgeon partners. With child life specialists and nurse navigators as well, we’re here to support your family at every step.