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PHOTOS © JOE SMITHBERGER, SMITHBERGER PHOTOGRAPHY, NORTH CANTON control of seizures with one or two medications. The remaining 30 percent fall into a category we call intractable epilepsy. This is where our comprehensive epilepsy program comes in." The Epilepsy Team Due to epilepsy's multi-faceted nature, Akron Children's has assembled a team of specialists to address all aspects of the disease. Patrick Brown, MD, like Dr. Holder, is a board-certified epileptolo- gist. Dr. Brown joined the team in August 2011 after completing a fellowship in clinical neurophysiology and epilepsy at Texas Children's Hospital. Lisa Stanford, PhD, ABPP, is the direc- tor of the Division of Neurobehavioral Health. A board-certified neuropsy- chologist, she evaluates the cognitive, behavioral, social, adaptive and academic functioning of pediatric epilepsy patients. Dr. Stanford joined Akron Children's from the University of Illinois College of Medicine where she was director of Pediatric Neuropsychology. This summer, fellowship-trained pedi- atric neurosurgeon Tsulee Chen, MD, joined the epilepsy team from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia along with pediatric psychologist Chelsea Weyand, PsyD, who completed a fellowship in pediatric psychology at Akron Children's. The multidisciplinary team also includes a social worker, play therapist and pediatric neuroradiologists. "We have an excellent, well-rounded team with seasoned professionals and very current training," says Dr. Hudgins. "Epilepsy must be approached from multiple angles: medical, surgical, psychological and social. Having a neuro- psychologist, for example, is fundamental to pinpointing exactly where seizures are coming from, while our pediatric psychologist provides the wrap-around care that brings all the pieces together for the patient." Some patients are referred to Akron Children's with a long history of sei- zures, some are looking for a second opinion, while others are newly diag- nosed. For the latter, Children's offers a new onset seizure clinic every Friday Epileptologist Deborah Holder, MD, director of Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology, observes patients in the hospital's new epilepsy monitoring unit. The unit has four rooms, specially wired with EEG equipment and ceiling-mounted video cameras, where patients can be observed and information can be recorded for up to two weeks. to see patients within a week of their first seizure. "The clinic allows us to make sure from the outset that patients receive the correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment," explains Dr. Holder. "Often, referring physicians want additional help or to determine if their patient is a candi- date for one of our specialized treatments such as surgery or the ketogenic diet." The Case for Timely Treatment Evidence suggests that delays in diag- nosing and effectively treating seizure disorders can have serious consequences. Uncontrolled epilepsy can affect learning and memory, leading to a decline in cognitive functioning over time. It can also trigger behavioral, emotional or social problems, damage self-esteem and cause years of strain on a patient's family. "Some types of seizures occur in infancy and others don't show up until adolescence or later," says Dr. Stanford, who helps determine the impact and origin of seizures by evaluating brain function. "Regardless of when they hap- pen, seizures of any kind have an impact on how children feel, how they perceive their environment, how they behave, how they do in school, how they interact with friends and family members, and more." Although most cases of epilepsy can be controlled with medication and SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2012 ■ MDNEWS.COM ■ MD NEWS Cleveland-Akron-Canton | 27