Pediatric Epilepsy Program

Advanced testing to understand seizures

Clear answers start with precise testing. We use detailed brain imaging and electrical studies to locate seizure activity. These tools help us understand how seizures affect your child's brain.

Tests that help us understand brain structure and function may include:

• MRI and functional MRI

• PET scan

• Neuropsychological assessments

• Electroencephalogram (EEG, an electrical study of brain waves)

When seizures need deeper study, we use advanced mapping and monitoring tools. These may include:

• Magnetoencephalography (MEG). This imaging technique, which is not widely available, shows the brain's electrical signals, helping us pinpoint seizure activity.

• Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). This advanced scan uses a special dye to show blood flow patterns during a seizure.

• EEG source localization. This testing helps us find where seizures may begin.

• Inpatient epilepsy monitoring. Our team studies seizures over a few days to guide treatment planning.

• Intracranial seizure mapping. Specialists study seizures directly from the brain.

Expert team focused on childhood epilepsy

We take time to listen, answer your questions and explain your child's care. Our epilepsy specialists and pediatric neurosurgeons work together when seizures need advanced evaluation or treatment.

Some families come to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals after receiving a diagnosis or treatment plan elsewhere. We review your child's history, tests and current medications. Then we help you understand what may come next.

Your care team includes providers with focused training in childhood epilepsy. The team may include:

• Dual-certified specialists (pediatric neurology and epilepsy)

• Pediatric neurosurgeons

• Neuropsychologists

• Child psychiatrists

• Dietitians

• Social workers and an education liaison

Advanced epilepsy treatment options

Medicine helps many children, but some seizures need a different approach. We help you understand the full range of epilepsy treatments, including advanced options that can help your child live a more active life.

Treatment may include:

• Anti-seizure medications. We're experts in optimizing anti-seizure medications, especially for hard-to-treat epilepsy. We go beyond routine prescribing to create highly tailored regimens.

• Customized ketogenic diet therapy. Our dietitians work with you and your child to develop a personalized diet that may help control seizures.

• Neuromodulation therapies. Our specialists have extensive experience with devices for controlling seizures. We may combine implanted devices for vagal nerve stimulation (VNS), responsive neurostimulation (RNS) or deep brain stimulation (DBS) with other therapies for seizure control.

• Robot-assisted surgery. We're one of the few programs in the region using robot-assisted surgery to place electrodes for seizure mapping.

• Laser ablation. Surgeons use focused heat to treat some seizure-causing areas.

• Epilepsy surgery. Our surgeons offer a full range of procedures to remove or disconnect seizure-causing tissue, such as resection.

3D planning tools for complex care

We may use virtual reality and augmented reality to create 3D brain models. These tools can help visualize the seizure focus and planned surgical path.

These tools may help with:

• Better understanding of complex brain anatomy. 3D models help us study areas other scans may not show clearly.

• Improved surgical planning and precision. Surgeons can compare approaches and plan each step before surgery.

• Helping families visualize treatment. Immersive images can show the seizure focus and planned surgical path.

Support for school, mental health and family life

Epilepsy can affect learning, behavior, mood and daily routines. Our team helps your child and family manage those challenges, providing support for mental health concerns, dietary needs, school guidance and practical needs.