At Penn Medicine, we understand that living with epilepsy or a seizure disorder can affect every aspect of your life. Whether you’ve recently started having seizures or have lived with them for years, experts at our Comprehensive Epilepsy Center can help.
Our multidisciplinary team of epilepsy specialists are national leaders in a wide range of innovative therapies and diagnostic procedures for even the most complex types of epilepsy and seizure. Understanding the cause of seizures helps us create personalized care plans designed to bring you relief.
Meet the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center team at Penn Medicine
Life-Changing Epilepsy and Seizure Disorder Care: The Penn Medicine Advantage
Penn epileptologists are among the most experienced in the nation, recognized for their leadership in the diagnosis and medical and surgical treatment of epilepsy. People who come to us for care benefit from our:
- Highest level of expertise: The National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC) designated our program as a Level 4 epilepsy center. This designation recognizes the high level of expertise and advanced facilities that allow us to provide all available medical and surgical epilepsy treatment options to people with seizure disorders and complex forms of epilepsy.
- Advanced testing and imaging: The best care starts with an accurate epilepsy diagnosis. Our epilepsy center and neurodiagnostic labs have the highest-resolution imaging technology available, and the expertise to use that technology effectively. We are often able to identify brain abnormalities that are undetectable with routine imaging. Our state-of-the-art inpatient Epilepsy Monitoring Unit allows for in-depth monitoring over several days to help us understand complex or unusual seizures.
- Surgical expertise: Our neurosurgeons provide the most advanced surgical treatment options available, including resection surgery and implantation of neurostimulation devices. We specialize in complex forms of epilepsy that do not respond well to existing drug therapies.
- Collaborative care: As a regional leader in care for seizure disorders, our program has established collaborative relationships with neurologists at Level 3 epilepsy centers who refer patients to us for Level 4 services and treatments.
- Second opinion program: Our expert neurologists and neurosurgeons offer their expertise for second (and third) opinions. If you’ve been told you need surgery for epilepsy or a seizure disorder, Penn’s Neurosurgery Second Opinion Program can help answer your questions.
Advanced Inpatient Monitoring
Penn Medicine’s state-of-the-art Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) is a safe, comfortable environment for people who need intensive inpatient monitoring as part of a comprehensive epilepsy diagnosis.
Learn more about epilepsy diagnosis at Penn Medicine
Personalized Management of Epilepsy and Seizures
Our team at the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center is recognized as a national leader in epilepsy treatment and seizure management. Our specialists have expertise in all available epilepsy medications, lifestyle modifications, and advanced surgical options.
When appropriate, we collaborate with other specialists to make sure you get the most effective care. Together with you, we work to find the treatment that brings you the best seizure control and improves your quality of life.
Learn more about epilepsy treatment at Penn Medicine
Global Leaders in Epilepsy Research
As part of an academic medical center, many of our physicians are also researchers. Our Comprehensive Epilepsy Center is a recognized worldwide leader in epilepsy clinical research and development of novel therapies, surgical interventions, and diagnostic tools. Our involvement in epilepsy research and clinical trials helps our patients access the most advanced therapies available.
Explore our epilepsy research and clinical trials
A Multidisciplinary Team of Epilepsy Specialists
Your care is coordinated and carried out by a comprehensive team of clinicians who specialize in epilepsy and seizure disorders:
- Epileptologists are neurologists that specialize in diagnosing and treating epilepsy and seizures.
- Neuropsychologists study how disorders of the brain affect behavior, learning, and understanding.
- Neurosurgeons perform complex surgical procedures on the brain and spinal cord.
- Nuclear medicine specialists specialize in using radioactive tracers to detect areas of abnormal functioning to aid in diagnosis and treatment of seizures.
- Nurses provide support during diagnosis and treatment of seizures and epilepsy.
- Nurse practitioners see patients independently in the outpatient setting.
- Radiologists interpret imaging studies, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scans.
- Researchers conduct trials to develop more effective ways to diagnose and treat seizures and epilepsy.
- Social workers find resources to support you during and after treatment and teach coping strategies to patients and families.
We hold weekly team meetings where we discuss every potential epilepsy surgical case in detail to develop customized treatment plans. This multidisciplinary collaboration is especially important for determining treatment plans for people with drug-resistant forms of epilepsy.
Epilepsy Support Services
Our team recognizes the challenges faced by people with an epilepsy or seizure disorder diagnosis and their loved ones. We offer specialized resources and support programs to make living with epilepsy easier.
Make an Appointment
Please call 800-789-7366 or make an appointment.