VA Greater Los Angeles Successfully Implants Device To Detect Seizures

LOS ANGELES, CA (PRWEB) AUGUST 23, 2017

The doctors at VA West Los Angeles Epilepsy Center of Excellence (ECOE) successfully completed a surgery that involved implanting a device to detect and stop seizures. Although the device and the treatment are FDA-approved and have been used at major university centers across the United States, this was the first such case within Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

Implanting the device is unique in that it can “sense” seizure activity and then it can trigger an electrical signal to abort the seizure. The sensing component of the device also provides a report of quantity of seizures per month and the time of day when they occur. This is the only commercially available implanted device that chronically records brain activity over time.

“We are excited to offer this novel technology to our Veterans suffering from treatment-refractory epilepsy. This condition affects quality of life and carries a significant risk of death. This new device works like a compact implantable computer that detects seizures and aborts them by emitting an electrical signal” said Jean-Philippe Langevin, MD, FAANS, Acting Chief of Neurosurgery, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System.

The surgery required multidisciplinary efforts from neurology, neurosurgery, radiology and mental health and was successfully completed without incident. The Epilepsy Center of Excellence continues to be a critical and essential component in fostering these types of multidisciplinary collaborations for successful outcomes.

“The ongoing monitoring and detection of seizures permit us as clinicians to adjust medication and follow the effects of those adjustments in real time based on clinically accurate information “said James Chen, M.D., Ph.D., Director, VAGLAHS Epilepsy Center of Excellence. Prior procedures had to be performed to pin-point the location of the onset of the seizure and the data analyzed to decide the best location to

implant the device. VAGLAHS continues to perfect the stimulating parameters. Recordings showed that seizures could be aborted by the stimulation through the implanted electrodes.

VAGLAHS is excited to be on the cutting edge of technology with treating our Veterans. For more information please visit the website for ECOEs: https://www.epilepsy.va.gov/

BY NIKKI BAKER
Veterans Health Administration – VAGLAHS
310-268-3340