The following describes epilepsy in children. For specific information regarding your child’s health and treatment options, please contact your Hurley physician or medical professional.

Epilepsy Care at Hurley Medical Center

If your child has epilepsy, the best place for him or her to be treated in mid-Michigan is Hurley Medical Center. Hurley has the region’s only Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and is the only hospital in the area that has a full-time board certified pediatric neurologist who can evaluate electroencephalogram (EEG) test results to diagnose an epileptic seizure.

Board certified in neurology and sleep disorders and with special training in epilepsy and seizures, our pediatric neurologist is highly experienced and specifically qualified to treat pediatric epilepsy.

What is Epilepsy?

Epilepsy is a neurological condition that causes the brain to produce sudden bursts of electrical energy that disrupts other brain functions. Epilepsy can result from a birth defect, birth or head injury, brain tumor, or infection in the brain. It can also be inherited.

Epilepsy can occur for the first time at any age and can usually be controlled, but not cured, with medication. For some people, epilepsy is a childhood condition that might be outgrown.

For more information about epilepsy, contact the Epilepsy Foundation by clicking here.

What is an Epileptic Seizure?

Seizures are a symptom of epilepsy and are brought about by an electrical disturbance in the brain. There are several types of seizures and they can range from tingling in a finger to a generalized (grand mal) seizure during which people lose consciousness, become stiff, and jerk. Having a single seizure does not necessarily mean a person has epilepsy.

What is an EEG?

People with epilepsy will often have abnormal brain electrical activity that can be detected on an EEG, a test that reads the electrical activity in the brain. In some cases, an EEG may show the location in the brain where the seizures start. EEG results can often be normal after a seizure or between seizures, so it may be necessary to perform a longer test.

Tests looking for the cause and location of seizures may include:

• Head CT (computed tomography) scan
• Head MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan
• Lumbar puncture (spinal tap)
• Blood chemistry
• Blood sugar
• CBC (complete blood count)
• CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) analysis
• Kidney function tests
• Liver function tests
• Tests for infectious diseases

When Should I Contact my Doctor? or 911?

If your child:

• has a seizure for the first time
• has a longer seizure than usual
• has several seizures within a few minutes
• does not regain consciousness (does not wake up) between seizures

contact your Hurley physician or call 911 immediately.

For more information or to make an appointment, contact:

Hurley Medical Center Pediatric Neurology Department
Hurley Medical Center
One Hurley Plaza
Flint, MI  48503
(810) 262-2140