Epilepsy & Neurophysiology

The Division of Epilepsy and Clinical Neurology, headed by Dr. Larry Benardo, encompasses the Epilepsy Center at University Hospital of Brooklyn, the clinical neurophysiology laboratories (EEG, Electromyography, Evoked Potentials) and the Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship Program. The Epilepsy Center includes an epilepsy clinic, an inpatient epilepsy monitoring unit, and clinical and basic research programs.

EPILEPSY CENTER

Clinical Services

The UHB Epilepsy Center provides expert patient care to patients with intractable or problematic epilepsy, with the goal of attaining control of seizures and optimal quality of life. Our full-time staff consists of adult and pediatric neurologists, nurse clinicians, social workers, and EEG technologists, all with special expertise in epilepsy. This multi-disciplinary approach has proved to be efficient and cost effective for patients with refractory epilepsy.
Our new 4-bed inpatient monitoring unit is equipped with state-of-the-art digital video-EEG equipment. Long-term EEG monitoring can help to establish a definite diagnosis in patients with episodic symptoms of uncertain cause, diagnose and facilitate treatment of psychogenic seizures, quantitate seizure frequency, and localize epileptogenic brain regions to establish candidacy for epilepsy surgery. Both adults and children are admitted to the monitoring unit.

Services provided by the UHB Epilepsy Center include:

• Evaluation and treatment of first seizure (deciding whether
to start anticonvulsant treatment, ordering and interpretation of diagnostic tests)
• Evaluation and treatment of difficult-to-control epilepsy

• New anticonvulsant medications
• Investigational antiepileptic medications
• Vagus nerve stimulator
• Ketogenic diet
• Evaluation for epilepsy surgery
• Electroencephalography (EEG) • Inpatient Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) • Neuroimaging (brain MRI, CT, angiography, functional MRI) • Neuropsychological testing • Clinical psychological services and counseling • Social work services • School services for children (evaluation and treatment of school and behavioral problems) • Rehabilitation • Counseling • Pre-pregnancy and pregnancy counseling • Patient and family support groups

We will be happy to assist in the management of complex epilepsy. We serve as a tertiary Epilepsy Center, and therefore insist that patients follow up with their referring physician following inpatient or outpatient evaluation, often with continued telephone consultation with Epilepsy Center staff. Physicians who wish to follow their patients while in University Hospital may apply for admitting privileges through the Department of Neurology.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REFER A PATIENT
call the UHB Epilepsy Center at (718) 270-2959

UHB Epilepsy Center
SUNY Downstate Medical Center
450 Clarkson Ave., Box 1213
Brooklyn, NY 11203
Phone: (718) 270-2959
Fax: (718) 270-6348

EEG requests (718) 270-2430

All insurances, including Medicaid, are accepted.