Level 4 Epilepsy Care

Valley Children’s is the only hospital in Central California to be named a level 4 epilepsy center by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC). Level 4 epilepsy centers have the professional expertise and facilities to provide the highest level medical and surgical evaluation and treatment for patients with complex epilepsy.

Our epilepsy center provides neurodiagnostic evaluations, as well as medical, neuropsychological and psychosocial services. We also offer evaluation for epilepsy surgery, implantation of the vagus nerve stimulator and various epilepsy surgical options.

Our board-certified neurologists, epileptologists, neurosurgeons and neuropsychologists work collaboratively to ensure a high-level, compassionate, coordinated care for infants, children and adolescents with epilepsy. Our neurosurgeons use sophisticated equipment and technology including microsurgery, neuro-endoscopy, lasers and minimally invasive neurosurgical techniques and intra-operative image-guided navigation systems to provide advanced neurosurgical care for complex conditions.

Epilepsy Monitoring Unit

Located in the Voyager Unit of the Madera hospital, the Valley Children’s Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) is a designated area for epilepsy patients who need to be monitored over longer periods of time.

This unit includes six rooms with hard-wired beds, nine portable machines and a play area. There are video cameras in each room and throughout the hallways, allowing patients more freedom to roam while still being monitored over multiple consecutive days and ensuring no data is lost. This facility creates a more comfortable environment, conducive to optimal seizure monitoring.

Valley Children’s recognizes that support for patients and families is needed beyond the walls of the hospital. Our Epilepsy Support Program provides opportunities for families to meet, engaging events for patients outside of treatment and promotes community education.

Comprehensive Team Decisions

Every potential epilepsy surgery candidate at Valley Children’s is reviewed by a multidisciplinary team of specialists including: epileptologist, neurologists, neurosurgeons, neuropsychologists, radiologists, nurses and social work. In these meetings, video-EEG and imaging studies are reviewed in detail by the team’s radiologist. Neuropsychologists explain how the potential surgery may affect the patient’s current cognitive functioning, and neurosurgeons discuss the surgical options regarding the risks/benefits/outcomes for each patient. Once the team comes to a consensus on the next steps in the treatment plan, the plan is then discussed with the patient and family. This collaborative approach ensures decision making is in the best interest of the patient with all angles of treatment addressed. 

Learn more about the symptoms and causes of epilepsy and seizures.