The Clinical Epilepsy Service is comprised of a team of health care staff, which offers easy accessibility to epilepsy health care specialists. The Clinical Epilepsy Service includes both adult and pediatric components.

All patients referred to the Aastha Neuro Research and Rehabilitation Centre for clinical assessment, whether an adult, child, or infant, will be evaluated by an adult or epilepsy specialist, along with an epilepsy fellow or resident.
Typical referrals include patients with a known or suspected diagnosis of epilepsy, or a spell that mimics a seizure, such as syncope or non-epileptic behavioral events.

Previous investigations are a very important part of the initial assessment. It is critical that patients bring with them to the first appointment all relevant information, including prior investigations – MRI studies, EEG printouts, prior hospital records, and a complete medication list or pill bottles. We advise that the patient retrieve his or her own information and not leave this up to the referring doctor’s office.

Following evaluation in the clinic, an investigation and management plan will be devised, depending on the opinion of the attending epilepsy specialist – these tests may include an outpatient EEG, MRI, along with a prescription for anti-seizure medication.

The Adult Clinical Epilepsy Service is based in the main hospital and features epilepsy clinics targeted for various types of epilepsy patients. While patients with epilepsy are a special type of neurologic patient, not all epilepsy patients are the same.

The General Epilepsy Clinics include clinical assessments of patients with possible seizure disorders as well as patients with a clearly established diagnosis of epilepsy, including those patients who have drug-resistant epilepsy. Appropriate diagnostic evaluations, utilizing state-of-the-art technology, designed to determine if a person has an underlying seizure disorder and the correct classification of the seizure disorder.

Treatment strategies, which are based on the diagnosis and patient wishes, include various therapeutic options, such as the ‘non-pharmacologic’ approach, anti-seizure medication, minimally invasive surgery (e.g. vagal nerve stimulator), or intracranial epilepsy surgery. The possibility of being part of investigational approaches to the pharmacologic or surgical treatment of epilepsy also exist.

‘First-Time Seizure Clinic’ is specifically designed for patients who have had a ‘first-time’ generalized or partial seizure, as this can be a particularly frightening experience. The aim is to see patients within 3 days (72 hours) of the event and establish a diagnosis and management plan.

Brain Tumor & Epilepsy Clinic is designed to treat patients who have seizures and brain tumors. This is a unique patient population and special focus is paid to the interaction between seizures, anti-seizure drugs, and the tumor process.

Women & Epilepsy Clinic pays special attention to female patients with epilepsy, especially relating to pregnancy, menopause, and the interaction between anti-seizure drugs and endocrinologic (hormonal) factors.

Epilepsy & the Elderly Clinic exists to focus on patients over 65, since these patients have unique health-related issues that impact the cause and treatment of epilepsy.

The Aastha Neuro Research and Rehabilitation Centre also features specializing Epilepsy Nursing care. Our EMU nurses are trained and very experienced epilepsy nurses. They are familiar with electrographic and clinical seizure activity and provide targeted clinical tests of patients during partial onset seizures, and emergency care during generalized convulsions. In addition, all EMU nurses have basic life support and pediatric life support training. There is also an epilepsy nurse practitioner, and an epilepsy nurse clinician, who play an integral role in the care of all epilepsy patients. The nurse practitioner and nurse clinician will assist patients and their families in obtaining medications, access to support groups, and will provide health counseling to minimize hospital visits.

The Epilepsy Behavioral Health Team is comprised of psychologists who can assist in the management of patients with co-morbid or superimposed psychiatric disease and epilepsy. Patients who have been determined to have non-epileptic behavioral events or pseudo-seizures (with or without an underlying diagnosis of epilepsy) will be referred to a behavioral health specialist for further treatment.

Epilepsy Rehabilitation Services is also an important part of the Aastha Neuro Research and Rehabilitation Centre. This team of specialists is specifically geared toward assisting patients with epilepsy with an optimal living environment, especially when seizures are disabling and uncontrolled.

Aastha Neuro Research and Rehabilitation Centre has treated more than 5000 patients of Epilepsy.