Questions about epilepsy in children? Dr. Tchapyjnikov has answers. What is epilepsy? Epilepsy is a condition in which a patient has recurring unprovoked seizures. Seizures can almost be thought of as "electrical storms" that disturb the brain's normal electrical activity. Different parts of the brain are constantly sending signals to each other and to other parts of the body, seizures disrupt this activity. What are symptoms of seizure in children? The symptoms of seizures are very broad. They can present as very subtle staring spells or full body convulsions. Some seizures may only occur on one side of the body with stiffening or jerking in the face, arm and/or leg. Very often a child will lose awareness, meaning they act Dmitry Tchapyjnikov, MD Pediatric Neurology confused or are unable to respond during the seizure. Sometimes, a child may report "auras" before the seizure, this includes things like abdominal pain, funny smells or tastes, a feeling of fear, visual changes, and many other things. How do you help treat epilepsy with your patients? We are fortunate to have many good options for treating epilepsy including numerous anti-seizure medications with good side effect profiles. Many kids are able to achieve good seizure control on one or two anti-seizure medications, however in more difficult to treat cases we are also able to offer non-pharmacologic therapies including the ketogenic diet, vagus nerve stimulation, and in some cases epilepsy surgery. Choosing the right therapy for a child is a team effort and I make sure that families understand all their options and are able to choose what they feel is best for their child. For more information, call (406) 758-7490 or visit montanachildrens.org MONTANA CHILDREN'S KALISPELL REGIONAL HEALTHCARE Questions about epilepsy in children? Dr. Tchapyjnikov has answers. What is epilepsy? Epilepsy is a condition in which a patient has recurring unprovoked seizures. Seizures can almost be thought of as "electrical storms" that disturb the brain's normal electrical activity. Different parts of the brain are constantly sending signals to each other and to other parts of the body, seizures disrupt this activity. What are symptoms of seizure in children? The symptoms of seizures are very broad. They can present as very subtle staring spells or full body convulsions. Some seizures may only occur on one side of the body with stiffening or jerking in the face, arm and/or leg. Very often a child will lose awareness, meaning they act Dmitry Tchapyjnikov, MD Pediatric Neurology confused or are unable to respond during the seizure. Sometimes, a child may report "auras" before the seizure, this includes things like abdominal pain, funny smells or tastes, a feeling of fear, visual changes, and many other things. How do you help treat epilepsy with your patients? We are fortunate to have many good options for treating epilepsy including numerous anti-seizure medications with good side effect profiles. Many kids are able to achieve good seizure control on one or two anti-seizure medications, however in more difficult to treat cases we are also able to offer non-pharmacologic therapies including the ketogenic diet, vagus nerve stimulation, and in some cases epilepsy surgery. Choosing the right therapy for a child is a team effort and I make sure that families understand all their options and are able to choose what they feel is best for their child. For more information, call (406) 758-7490 or visit montanachildrens.org MONTANA CHILDREN'S KALISPELL REGIONAL HEALTHCARE