Epilepsy Care

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Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that is most often associated with unprovoked seizures. Unfortunately, it is fairly common in the United States and even in the Santa Rosa County area. Epilepsy is a spectrum condition, meaning that each case looks a little bit different from person to person. Because epilepsy can manifest itself differently in different patients, it is important to have a health care team that offers comprehensive care and can offer multiple types of treatment.

The board-certified neurologists and neurosurgeons at Santa Rosa Medical Center diagnose and treat epileptic seizure disorders regularly. Physicians work closely with each patient to determine the most appropriate treatment plan, as well as long-term management strategy.

How is Epilepsy Diagnosed?
While having just one seizure does not necessarily indicate the presence of epilepsy, multiple seizures might. There are different types of seizures and epileptic seizures can be any one, or even a combination, of the following:

• Generalized tonic-clonic (grand mal) seizures
• Absence (or petit mal) seizures
• Partial (focal) seizures

The medical staff at Santa Rosa Medical Center may use blood tests, an electroencephalogram (EEG), a computed tomography scan (CT), or a magnetic resonance imaging scan (MRI) to view your brain’s activity when diagnosing epilepsy.

Risk Factors for Epilepsy
Patients most likely to be at risk for epilepsy have one or more of the following contributing factors:

• Genetics
• Serious head injury
• Infection
• Medical conditions, such as stroke, brain tumor, Alzheimer’s disease or blood vessel problems
• Problems during pregnancy, birth, or early development

Types of Epilepsy
There are several types of epilepsy treated by the neurologists at Santa Rosa Medical Center. These may include:

• Refractory epilepsy
• Photosensitive epilepsy
• Benign rolandic epilepsy
• Lennox-Gastaut syndrome
• Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy
• Abdominal epilepsy
• Absence seizures
• Temporal lobe seizures

Treatment Options
Anti-seizure medications are the most common treatment approach. These medications may help control the frequency and severity of epileptic seizures. When medical management is insufficient, doctors may suggest a surgical approach, such as:

• Regulating the electrical activity of the brain through a small pacemaker device called a vagus nerve stimulator (VNS). The battery-operated device, which is placed under the skin by the vagus nerve, sends electrical impulses to block seizure-producing electrical activity in the brain.
• Removing the area of the brain that is the source of the seizures.

Although each person's epilepsy care plan is customized to meet their unique needs, the goal is the same for all our patients: to improve their well-being and quality of life.

Get Seizure Care Near You In Santa Rosa County
If you or a loved one has epilepsy or has had a seizure, call Santa Rosa Medical Center in Milton, Florida, to schedule an appointment. Call (850) 626-7762 today.