Treatment Concepts for Epilepsy. Our Epilepsy Centre

Epilepsy Centre for Children and Young People

As an Epilepsy Centre, which provides the highest level of care for children and young people, our clinic primarily looks after patients with types of epilepsy which are hard to classify and treat. All the diagnostic and therapeutic options of a Grade IV centre are available to patients entrusted to our care. In our Grade IV Centre we carry out all the possible conservative treatment options. These include for instance treatment with drugs or a ketogenic diet (a strict, high-fat type of diet) and highly specialised preoperative epilepsy diagnostics and epilepsy surgery.

Epilepsy Centre - Medicinal Therapy

Today there are as many as 20 different antiepileptic drugs available as medicinal therapy for epileptic attacks. Their correct usage, individually or in combination, requires special knowledge about

  • Epilepsy Syndrome
  • Types of attacks
  • Mechanisms of action
  • Side-effects profile 
  • Age-related aspects 
  • Pharmacogenetics and pharmacodynamics
  • Interaction with other medication

Preoperative Epilepsy Diagnostics and Operative Epilepsy Therapy

Dr Holthausen explains options for epilepsy therapy using X-rays/pictures

Dr Holthausen explains options for epilepsy therapy using X-rays/pictures

This ward equipped with the latest technology has been established for children and young people whose attacks cannot be controlled by medication. Continuous video and EEG readings are carried out in several examination rooms (24 hours a day, 7 days a week), in order to localise seizure foci in the brain. Operations are performed in the neurosurgical clinic of the Schön Klinik Vogtareuth and then postoperative rehabilitation takes place in the Rehabilitation Department in the neuropaediatric area.

Epilepsy Centre - other offers:

  • Differential diagnostics of non-epileptic seizures and sleep disorders/parasomnias ( no classic sleep laboratory)
  • Vagus nerve stimulation

Since 1999 Vagus nerve stimulation has been offered and implemented (an operative procedure but unlike epilepsy surgery a treatment procedure not directly on the brain). Here we are dealing with a chronic, recurring electrical stimulation of the left vagus nerve, the latter being linked directly under the skin by an implanted wire lead to an electrical impulse generator implanted in the left half of the chest. This stimulation is passed to the brain whereby – in simple terms, the connections between the nerve cells are modified in such a way that improvements in seizures and quality of life are achieved in a proportion of patients.

Vagus Nerve Stimulation Procedure

After ruling out the possibility of promising treatment with drugs or surgery and their associated contraindications, the vagus nerve stimulator from the company Cyberonics can be implanted. Prior to this in-depth advice is given about the risks and chances involved with this treatment procedure. Operative intervention itself lasts 2-4 hours and is usually well tolerated without any problems with patients being able to leave the clinic after a few days. Aftercare and further modifications to stimulation are carried out in the Epilepsy Centre or at Valgus Nerve Stimulation centres near the patient's home.

Therapies, social paedagogic offers and the clinic school

The following therapies come under the spectrum of services in the epilepsy centre of the Schön Klinik Vogtareuth:
  • Physical therapy
  • Ergotherapy
  • Logopaedics
  • Psychology Therapy
  • Neuropsychological Training
  • Music therapy
  • Animal-supported Therapy (Hippotherapy, Dog therapy)
  • Climbing therapy
  • Swimming
  • Curative paedagogic care
  • Basal stimulation
  • Psychosocial Counselling for Parents

  • Clinic School

Comprehensive Care

Epilepsy, particularly if the progression is poor, leads inevitably to impairment in the quality of life of those affected. In terms of comprehensive care, we provide information on the condition, help with breaking down prejudices and campaign for the prevention of unnecessary educational, professional and social disadvantages. "Comprehensive care" means above all that the psychosocial needs of patients who are ill are also taken care of. Moreover we provide information about the options the law provides for reducing social hardships.