Epilepsy Clinic
The Epilepsy Clinic at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles offers a variety of epilepsy treatments for children who need ongoing seizure management. Our epilepsy specialists have training in both pediatrics and neurology and have also completed advanced training in epilepsy. This extensive expertise means your child receives advanced treatments from caring experts who know how to work with children.
The clinic is part of our Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, which is the most advanced, highest-quality program of its kind in Southern California. We provide a range of innovative treatments, from seizure management through diet to specialized neurosurgeries not typically offered to children.
Advanced Epilepsy Care
We have achieved Level 4 certification—the highest available—from the National Association of Epilepsy Centers. To achieve this designation, an epilepsy center must have excellent outcomes, see a high volume of patients and offer the most advanced diagnostic tools and treatment options. This recognition highlights how much we prioritize offering children safe, comprehensive epilepsy care.
Epilepsy Clinic: Why Choose Us?
- Convenient, collaborative care: Our Epilepsy Clinic is a one-stop shop where your child can see multiple specialists, such as neurologists, neuropsychologists or dietitians, in one setting. This model offers comprehensive care in a convenient setting. We also coordinate all these appointments through the clinic, so you don’t have to worry about scheduling all the subspecialty appointments yourself.
- In-house genetic testing: We partner with the Center for Personalized Medicine to provide genetic testing to children with epilepsy. Genetic testing helps us understand the underlying causes of epilepsy and guides us to better, more targeted treatments. We are one of the only pediatric hospitals in the country with genetic testing services on-site. Because we have excellent access to genetic testing, we also can identify more children who are eligible for clinical trials.
- Access to the latest treatments: Our epilepsy team leads and participates in research, including clinical trials. Whether or not children participate in clinical trials, they receive care from specialists who know the newest, most advanced techniques for treating epilepsy. We provide a range of epilepsy treatment options, including diet therapy, medication and neurosurgery.
- Expert diagnostic tools: We provide every diagnostic tool necessary to identify why your child is having seizures and find the best treatment options. Some of our advanced diagnostic techniques include specialized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and positron emission tomography (PET) scans. These scans tell us more about your child’s brain tissue, blood flow and seizure location. All of this information leads us to more targeted, effective treatments that promote excellent outcomes.
Pediatric Epilepsy and Seizure Disorders
Epilepsy is a brain disorder that causes seizures. Seizures occur when the brain fires abnormal electrical signals. This can cause temporary confusion, speech problems or involuntary movements.
Collaborative treatment
Epilepsy treatment involves collaboration between multiple specialists in several different multidisciplinary clinics, including:
- Diet Therapy Clinic, where specially trained dietitians develop diet plans that can help mitigate or end seizures altogether in some cases.
- Epilepsy Genetics Clinic, in which doctors and genetic counselors evaluate and help understand possible genetic causes of your child’s seizures.
- Epilepsy Surgery Clinic, where pediatric epilepsy neurosurgeons develop surgical plans if that’s the right approach for your child’s condition.
Our epilepsy specialists also collaborate with experts in:
- Nutrition
- Center for Personalized Medicine
- Neurosurgery
- Occupational Therapy
- Physical Therapy
- Anesthesiology
- Inpatient Rehabilitation
Learn more about treatments for epilepsy in children.