MUSC is seeking new patients for South Carolina’s first and only all-inclusive epilepsy program recognized by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers. Referring physicians can trust the world-class team of specialists at the MUSC Comprehensive Epilepsy Program to offer patients the most advanced care for this disorder. MUSC’s long history of providing diagnosis and treatment for the nearly two percent of South Carolinians with epilepsy systematically evolved into this full-service center that focuses on clinical care, education and research. “I’m very impressed with the vision of the leadership within the MUSC Department of Neurosciences – our goal is to rapidly become a Level IV epilepsy center,” says Program Director Jonathan C. Edwards, M.D., former director of the electroencephalography (EEG) laboratory with University of Michigan Hospitals. The new MUSC center provides seamless care as patients age, from neonatal through geriatrics, with dedicated resources found nowhere else in the state. The epilepsy team includes two adult specialists, Jonathan J. Halford, M.D., and Paul B. Pritchard III, M.D., and two pediatric specialists, Robert P. Turner, M.D., and David A. Griesemer, M.D., Dr. Edwards treats adults and children. Patients who do not respond well to medication have new options with epilepsy surgeon Steven S. Glazier, M.D., who comes to MUSC from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center where he served as Associate Professor, Pediatric Neurosurgery Program Director and Comprehensive Epilepsy Center Surgical Director. As Director of Surgery with MUSC’s epilepsy center, Dr. Glazier provides the full range of resective surgical treatment of epilepsy, including temporal lobectomy and amygdalohippocampectomy, as well as disconnective procedures such as multiple subpial transections, corpus callosotomy and functional hemispherectomy. The center’s state-of-the-art EEG monitoring program – one of a kind in South Carolina – measures and records seizure activity and captures the physical manifestations on digital video and EEG. On the horizon is the acquisition of a MEG, or magnetoencephalograph, which pinpoints the source of activity from deeper areas of the brain that other technology cannot reach. “The MEG is the ultimate in terms of accuracy and timing of an event,” says Dr. Glazier. “It’s very high-end technology few centers in the country are poised to utilize.” Education and Patient Care
MUSC’s epilepsy services extend far beyond advanced diagnosis and treatment. One of the center’s biggest missions is to educate the community about this stigmatized disorder, according to Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Gigi Smith, M.S.N. “You need to address all the domains for patients to have the best quality of life and the best outcomes,” she says. Social worker Neomi Smith provides psycho/social counseling throughout the continuum of care, from helping patients accept the diagnosis to linking them with resources in their own communities. A nurse coordinator acts as liaison between MUSC physicians, the nurse practitioner and referring physicians. This nurse also coordinates patient follow-up care, participates in rounds with physicians and coordinates the weekly refractory clinic during which the entire epilepsy team studies unresponsive cases. The center has four outpatient epilepsy nurses who assist patients in the clinic.
| MUSC receives highest designation for an epilepsy center | The MUSC Comprehensive Epilepsy Program is a Level 4 center designated by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers. This is the highest designation for an epilepsy center. Level 4 centers provide the most complete range of evaluations and treatments for epilepsy, including complex surgery. The National Association of Epilepsy Centers has established referral guidelines for seizure disorders. According to the these guidelines: Delayed or denied referral may be detrimental to a patient’s health, safety and quality of life. If seizures are not brought under control after three months of care by a primary care provider (family physician, pediatrician), further neurologic intervention by a neurologist, or an epilepsy center is appropriate. - A patient whose seizures have not been brought under control after 12 months of care by a general neurologist should insist upon a referral to a specialized epilepsy center with an epileptologist.
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Research
Research is the third major focus. Cutting-edge work with multidisciplinary teams and collaboration with Clemson University promises to bring patients even better care. One study looks at applications of advanced signal source separation that would provide in-depth analysis of MRI scans and EEG recordings. A project funded by a Health Sciences South Carolina Foundation grant studies automated diagnosis of temporal lobe epilepsy using MRI. Industry-sponsored clinical trials of new epilepsy medications are underway as well. “It’s a very exciting time,” says Dr. Edwards. “We’re able to find causes and cures.” From a triple-phase assessment process with leading-edge technology to breakthrough medical and surgical treatments, the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program is poised to deliver improved outcomes for patients, physicians and families experiencing epilepsy. The bottom line is South Carolina’s most advanced epilepsy care is at MUSC. |
