Seizures and Epilepsy Treatment

When it comes to your neurological health, you want clarity. This is especially true when you experience a seizure. At AdventHealth Tampa, formerly Florida Hospital Tampa, we want to give you answers. Working together across disciplines, we can help determine your type of seizure and work to uncover the cause. Our specialized electroencephalography (EEG) technologists are well-equipped to scan and assess your test results, working to pinpoint the location and cause of your seizures. Our full epilepsy diagnostic tests include:

• Blood Tests
• Electroencephalogram (EEG) Tests
• Imaging Tests, Such As CT Scans, PET Scans, and MRIs
• Physical Exams

Waiting for the results of neurological tests can be stressful. We’ll be there at every step, listening to every concern, explaining every exam, and making you feel as comfortable as possible. Because caring for your brain begins with easing your mind.

In some cases, seizures can be caused by a specific trauma or medical condition. In others, the cause is entirely unknown. No matter the case, you’re not alone. Millions of Americans experience seizures every year, and we’re here to help provide answers. Seizures can cause a range of symptoms depending on the severity. These can include rapid eye blinking, confusion, inability to communicate, convulsions, muscle spasms, unconsciousness, jerking motions, and more. Seizures can be broken down into four main categories, including:

• Focal Seizures, Occurring in One Part of the Brain, Often the Temporal Lobe
• Generalized Seizures, in Both Sides of the Brain
• Non-Epileptic Seizures
• True Epilepsy, Categorized as Recurrent Seizures (Two or More)

Epileptic seizures can be defined as either petit mal with mild symptoms, or grand mal, causing intense symptoms and often unconsciousness. Whatever your diagnosis, we’ll be there by your side, giving you answers, and paving a path forward.

Epilepsy causes and episodes are always specific to you. That’s why we give you the specialized attention you deserve and the personalized epilepsy treatment plan you need. In most cases, the best treatment starts with an accurate diagnosis. Once we uncover the underlying cause of your seizures, we can help treat the root of the problem with epilepsy medications and, if needed, surgery. Our comprehensive and proven epilepsy treatment options include:

• Antiepileptic Medications, the most common and effective treatment
• Cognitive treatment
• Ketogenic diet guidance - a diet high in fat and low in carbohydrates
• Temporal Lobe Resection to remove the small part of the brain where seizures start
• Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) device

At AdventHealth Tampa, we’ll work to monitor your condition with continued, repeated testing to make sure you’re on the right epilepsy treatment plan. The goal isn’t just seizure relief now, it’s neurological wellness for years to come.

AdventHealth Tampa is the first hospital in the Tampa Bay area to create a dedicated Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) featuring private rooms solely dedicated to 24/7 video, audio and EEG monitoring of epilepsy patients.

The EMU is staffed around the clock with specially trained nurses and technicians who are led by a team of epileptologists, neurosurgeons and neurophysiologists. Advanced equipment allows staff to closely monitor their patients at all times, whether at the bedside, from the nurse’s station, from the long-term monitoring control room or from custom-built mobile workstations that allow nurses to move from room to room while keeping an eye on multiple patients at once.

The long-term monitoring control room is the primary data hub of AdventHealth Tampa's Epilepsy Center. Sophisticated software and equipment allow for the display, recording and secure storage of high-definition video, audio and EEG data. A bank of monitors displays information for up to 24 patients at the same time. This not only includes patients in the epilepsy monitoring unit and intensive care unit, but patients in other areas in the hospital can also be monitored with specialized mobile equipment placed at the bedside.

Telemedicine technology also allows us to provide long-term monitoring services for patients at other AdventHealth hospitals.

The long-term monitoring control room is staffed 24 hours a day by specially trained neurodiagnostic technicians. Information gathered from long-term monitoring allows our team to accurately diagnose seizure problems and design individualized treatment plans for our patients.

When a child is affected by seizures, it is a stressful and scary time for parents and children alike. Communication and education are key components to easing this stress. From initial diagnosis to ongoing treatment to striving to find a cure, the team of pediatric epilepsy specialists at AdventHealth Tampa works closely with our patients and their families to help them fully understand what is happening at every stage.

Our pediatric epilepsy program is led by some of the most respected epilepsy experts in the country who are supported by an interdisciplinary team that’s dedicated to helping patients overcome this life-altering condition. Especially since the onset of epilepsy can begin at a young age, our specialists work with patients of all ages to help minimize — and sometimes eliminate — seizures. From lifestyle changes to specialty diets to medications to surgery, we will work with you to develop a personalized treatment plan.