Services

Minnesota Epilepsy Group offers the most comprehensive range of diagnostic and treatment options available.

Minnesota Epilepsy Group is designated as a level 4 epilepsy center – the highest rating by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers.

A level 4 epilepsy center serves as a regional or national referral facility and offers:

  • A complete evaluation for epilepsy
  • State-of-the-art neurodiagnostic monitoring
  • Extensive medical, neuropsychological and psychosocial assessment and treatment
  • Procedures, including stereoEEG, subdural electrode monitoring and cortical mapping

Outpatient Evaluations

Minnesota Epilepsy Group physicians provide a full evaluation for patients with epilepsy, seizure disorders, and symptoms such as unexplained loss of consciousness or confusional episodes.

Our team of specialists will review previous records and test results and perform a neurological history and physical examination relevant to the diagnosis of seizures. An opinion on diagnosis and possible treatments will be provided to the patient and to the referring physician.

Long Term EEG Monitoring

Through its partnerships with Abbott Northwestern, United Hospital and Children’s Minnesota, Minnesota Epilepsy Group offers three separate ten-bed video-EEG monitoring units. These state-of-the-art facilities feature fully computerized recording systems with 24-hour attended monitoring by experienced EEG staff.

Admission to the epilepsy unit provides the opportunity for a patient’s seizures to be recorded and characterized, seizure medications to be changed in a safe environment, and for precise localization of seizure onset.

Minnesota Epilepsy Group has achieved EEG laboratory accreditation through the American Board of Registration for EEG and Evoked Potential Technologists (ABRET). At the time of this accreditation in 2006, Minnesota Epilepsy Group was the first lab in the state and one of approximately 30 in the country to receive this honor. The Laboratory Accreditation Board of ABRET requires high standards are met with regard to staffing, continuing education and development, safety, policies, procedures, quality of recordings, and ongoing internal review to assure a high level of patient care. The EEG staff of Minnesota Epilepsy Group is proud to uphold these standards.

Intracranial EEG Recording

Minnesota Epilepsy Group utilizes intracranial monitoring to locate areas of seizure onset prior to epilepsy surgery. This may involve placement of strips or grids of electrodes directly over the surface of the brain or implantation of depth electrodes directly into brain structures. Surgical electrode placement allows for more precise EEG recording over several days. Data from intracranial recording can help determine a patients’ appropriateness for epilepsy surgery.

Magnetoencephalography

Minnesota Epilepsy Group is one of only a few epilepsy programs nationally to use the Magnetoencephalography (MEG) technology.

This state-of-art technology aids in the pre-surgical evaluation for epilepsy and brain tumor patients. MEG is used to identify the area of seizure onset and to map the location of brain functions. The data from the MEG and the data from a high resolution MRI are used together to accurately locate the seizure and functional areas.

The integration of this innovative technology with other diagnostic procedures by our team of skilled clinicians is another reason Minnesota Epilepsy Group is considered one of the top epilepsy programs in the nation.

Neuropsychology and Psychology Services

Minnesota Epilepsy Group has experienced pediatric and adult psychologists and neuropsychologists who offer a full range of services including clinical evaluation and treatment, comprehensive neuropsychological assessment, special procedures to identify language and memory in each hemisphere of the brain as well as mapping of other cognitive functions. Our neuropsychologists play an important role in assessing cognitive risks in patients being considered for epilepsy surgery and in providing supportive counseling to the patients and their families during the surgical decision making process.

Intensive Care Continuous EEG (CEEG) Monitoring

We provide 24/7 adult, pediatric and neonatal continuous EEG monitoring patients in ICUs. With today’s technological advances we can deliver continuous monitoring and review those recordings remotely. Providing 24/7 EEG monitoring of patients in the ICUs allows for fast recognition of changes in brain function for immediate treatment. With years of experience, our technologists and physicians can provide your facility with the valuable information you need to improve patient care and outcomes in the ICU.

Surgical Treatments for Epilepsy

Minnesota Epilepsy Group, through its affiliation with Allina Health and Children’s Minnesota, has been recognized for its success in the area of epilepsy surgery.

Surgical resection of a seizure focus can be an effective treatment when medications fail to control seizures. Due to improved surgical techniques and state of the art diagnostic procedures, more of these operations are being performed and with greater success.

NeuroPace® RNS® System

The RNS System is a novel, implantable therapeutic device that delivers responsive neurostimulation, an advanced technology designed to continuously monitor brain electrical activity, detect abnormal electrical activity and respond by delivering imperceptible levels of electrical stimulation to normalize that activity before an individual experiences seizures.

Laser Ablation for Epilepsy

This new surgical approach offers a safer and less invasive alternative to a craniotomy, which is currently the most commonly used surgical treatment for epilepsy. For high-risk patients with deep brain lesions, this new technique can be particularly life-changing because the MRI-guided laser probe utilizes a much smaller pathway through the brain to reach a deep lesion. This reduces the risk of patient complications related to contact with surrounding brain tissue. In addition, the MRI-guided laser probe is inserted through a hole in the skull that is only 3.2 mm (about the diameter of a pen) versus the removal of a larger area of skull bone for a craniotomy. Because it is a less invasive procedure, patient recovery time is much shorter.