New epilepsy monitoring unit at UC Davis specializes in diagnosing and treating seizures
DAVIS - Three million people in the United States suffer from epilepsy and about 20,000 of them in Northern California have seizures that are not controlled by medication. But now there is some new hope.
A new state-of-the-art facility specializes in diagnosing and guiding treatment for people whose seizures are not controlled by medication.
"This facility offers probably one of the safest ways of monitoring seizures," Dr. Jack Lin said.
Dr. Lin is a professor of neurology and director of the UC Davis Comprehensive Epilepsy Program. He says in order to detect the seizures, you have to actually let the patient have a seizure. But that's something that can be dangerous, even deadly if someone is alone.
"So the way to do it safely is admit the patient to the hospital and then slowly take them off medication and let them have seizures in order for the GPS detectors to locate that location," Dr. Lin said.
And right next door is a room full of experts.
"We have great pediatric and epilepsy specialists, neuro-surgery, neuropsychologicalists," Dr. Lin said.
Treatments aside from medication include laser therapies and surgery.
"We can minimally invasively target an area of the brain and make a very small brain incision that's able to target that area and remove that area safely," Dr. Lin said.
This new unit has 11 beds and is the largest like it in Northern California. It offers a number of treatments, but more than that, it offers hope.
"We have the best technology, the best talent and expertise, right in the back door of Sacramento," Dr. Lin said.
This new unit is accredited by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers as a level four facility, which is the highest-level designation.