 When Julie Budd, age 12, began to have bouts of pain in her abdomen, her parents assumed it was a problem with her stomach. But, after a variety of tests and visits to a gastroenterologist and a pediatric urologist, they were no closer to a diagnosis. Soon Julie was doubling over from the pain and waking up six to eight times a night. When the spasms increased to 20 times a night, with no medical explanation, the family became frantic for an answer.
“I took her Girl Scout troop to Radio City Music Hall and as we came off the ferry she had another episode,” recalls Mrs. Budd. “It was terrible. She was
on her hands and knees crawling on the dock.”
The final clue to the cause of her condition came from an episode Julie had after a visit to a physician. She ran out into traffic, narrowly missing a car,
and then had no memory of the incident. The family would later learn that memory lapse is one of the hallmarks of epilepsy.
At The Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery at Saint Barnabas, Julie was diagnosed with a rare condition called abdominal seizure disorder. She spent several nights in the Institute’s videoelectroencephalography (video-E.E.G.) monitoring area for intensive diagnostic testing.
“Everyone there was just wonderful,” Mrs. Budd says. “From the physicians, to the technologist who applied the patches, to the volunteer who played games with her, they all did a great job. I could not have been more pleased.”
Julie was placed on a medication that completely eliminated her seizures. Now, two years later, she is a happy, resilient young woman who speaks to other families with children who are experiencing seizures.
Complete Care for Seizure Disorders
The Adult and Pediatric Comprehensive Epilepsy Centers at The Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery offer complete care in eliminating or reducing seizures in adults and children with epilepsy and other seizure disorders. Under the direction of internationally renowned neurologist Orrin Devinsky, M.D., a dedicated team of physicians works with patients. The team members
are Eric Geller, M.D., Aviva Bojko, M.D., Mangala Nakarni, M.D., and Rina Goldberg, M.D.
The Centers offer routine E.E.G.,ambulatory E.E.G., and video-E.E.G. testing, as well as brain mapping, neuroimaging (including MRI and PET) and surgical treatment of epilepsy. Video-E.E.G is described as a “brain stress test” that records a patient’s seizures during testing so that a definitive diagnosis can be made. The test is performed in a newly expanded 16-bed unit at Saint Barnabas with state-of-theart equipment. The unit is staffed by a neuropsychologist, a fulltime nurse practitioner, E.E.G. technologists, and a specially-trained nursing staff.
A broad range of programs meet the needs of patients and their families, including intervention for memory disorders, developmental delays in both
children and adults, as well as social, occupational, behavioral and psychological issues.
Complete and Accurate Diagnosis and Treatment
Seizures vary widely in their features, ranging from mild sensations such as tingling in a finger to loss of consciousness. Making a complete and accurate
epilepsy diagnosis is critical to providing effective treatment. Frequently people diagnosed with epilepsy prove to have other disorders.
Treatments include the use of medications and also the use of vagus nerve stimulation, a strategy for reducing the frequency and severity of seizures. For
people who have not been able to achieve control with other treatments, epilepsy surgery may be an option. A full range of conventional epilepsy surgery procedures, together with new techniques pioneered by neurosurgeons at the Epilepsy Centers, offer an individual the potential for full seizure control.
For further information, please call the Adult and Pediatric Comprehensive Epilepsy Centers at (973) 322-6600.
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