75% of epilepsy cases appear in childhood. The lives of the majority of children affected are not changed by the condition if a precise diagnosis is performed and the appropriate treatment prescribed. The SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital is a benchmark centre for the diagnosis and treatment of childhood refractory epilepsy, with CSUR accreditation from the Spanish Ministry of Health.
Doctors from different specialties discuss each patient case-by-case. Additionally, we maintain a stable healthcare, teaching and research partnership with Hospital Clínic de Barcelona and with the Paediatric Epilepsy Unit of the University Hospital of Lyon, the largest in Europe. We prepare our teenage patients for the moment when they are to be treated at an adults' centre and we perform follow-up when they turn eighteen.
We provide the following services
Advanced technology
We have the most advanced technology for diagnosing and treating children and adolescents with epilepsy: continuous monitoring with a video electroencephalography (video EEG); structural neuroimaging (1.5 and 3 Tesla cerebral MR) and functional neuroimaging (PET, SPECT/SISCOM, functional MRI) techniques; metabolic diagnosis laboratory and genomic diagnostic platform.
Pharmacotherapy
Today there are drugs that are very effective for treating epilepsy. But in order to determine the most appropriate treatment in each case, it is important to have proper experience in accurately diagnosing which type of epilepsy is involved and the specific aspects of each case.
Dietary treatment
The ketogenic diet is a treatment that is complementary to drug treatment. It consists of a diet rich in fats and low in sugars, resulting in a state of ketosis which helps to improve seizure control. When our team considers this diet to be indicated, it works with the team of dieticians and nutritionists in the Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition department.
Surgery
Some epilepsies do not respond to drugs but must be treated with surgery. Our multidisciplinary team assesses whether this might be the best option for the child. Our specialists perform accurate pre-surgery evaluations to determine which surgical option is best for each child.
Surgical specialties
Surgical techniques for diagnostic or curativ purposes
Implantation of intracranial electrodes
It is not covered by public health
Surgical removal of epilepsy focus
It is not covered by public health
Hemispherotomy
It is not covered by public health
Surgical techniques for palliative care
Callosotomy
It is not covered by public health
Electric neurostimulation
It is not covered by public health
At the forefront of knowledge
Currently the SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital is managing 3 research investigation´s projects related to children´s and adolescent´s epilepsy. We also carry out the clinical trials to study the efficacy and safety of antiepileptic drugs.