Epilepsy

Approximately 2.8 million Americans have epilepsy. While the majority of patients respond to conventional medical management, approximately 30 percent do not, making it difficult to drive, hold a job or otherwise live a normal life. For these patients, Georgetown University offers the most advanced and comprehensive program in the region, one that can eliminate seizures altogether through safe and effective surgery.

Epilepsy: Community Lecture Webcast Now Available!

Learn about epilepsy and the medical management and surgical techniques for becoming seizure-free! Our epilepsy experts will cover such topics, including; the evaluation process, medical management and surgical options for epilepsy

Gholam Motamedi, M.D. Director, Clinical Neurophysiology Epilepsy and Seizure print video transcript

What is the difference between seizure and epilepsy?

What is a seizure and what do they look like?

What are the medical treatments for epilepsy?

What are the surgical treatments for epilepsy?

What can I expect as a patient coming to GUH for epilepsy?

How has epilepsy treatment improved in recent years?

Surgery has been used for years to treat certain cases of refractory epilepsy-epilepsy that does not respond to conventional medical management- but was often viewed by both physicians and patients as a last resort. Yet new refinements and improvements in imaging technology, combined with new clinical research, have demonstrated its value. One recent clinical trial, the first of its kind, compared outcomes of patients undergoing the two main approaches to treating epilepsy. The results are stunning: 58% of epilepsy patients in the surgical group were completely free from any seizures one year later, as compared to 8 percent in the medical group.

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	ABC 7 News New surgical techniques offer relief to patients suffering seizure-related diseases.

Based on this and other studies, Georgetown has opened a new Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, supported by two epileptologists and one physician specially trained in epilepsy surgery, to identify people with refractory epilepsy and determine whether or not they are candidates for surgery. Georgetown also offers vagal nerve stimulation for certain patients with epilepsy and is developing special services for women and children with epilepsy.

Patients who are not 100 percent seizure-free after trying three or four different medications should consider being evaluated for surgery. Even one seizure per month can reduce independence and quality of life.

For more information, please call Dr. Gholam Motamedi at
(202) 444-8525.