Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery Program
Contact Information
MGfC Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery
Wang Ambulatory Care Center
55 Fruit Street, Suite 331
Boston,
MA
02114
Phone: 617-724-6590
Fax: 617-726-2424
To schedule an appointment with a MassGeneral for Children pediatric specialist, please call 888-644-3248 or complete our online appointment form to request an appointment.
Physicians may call 888-644-3211 or use the online referral form and the Access & New Appointment Center will call your patient within one business day.
Explore This Program
Care During COVID-19
Our dedicated physicians, nurses and staff are committed to providing the best possible care for children. We have taken unprecedented steps to ensure office visits and procedures are welcoming and safe. Your child’s health and safety is our top priority. Learn more.
Overview
After headache, epilepsy is the most common neurologic problem in children. Mass General for Children offers a full range of medical management and all of the established and new anti-epileptic drugs. Most pediatric seizure disorders are well managed with appropriate medical therapy. Where medical management fails, however, or when a condition is found for which surgery is the best option, a child should be evaluated carefully for surgical intervention.
We offer all forms of surgical epilepsy treatment, including:
- Cortical resections
- Temporal lobectomies
- Hemispherectomies and hemispheric disconnection procedures
- Callosotomies
- Multiple subpial transections
- Vagus nerve stimulation
- Placement of subdural grids and depth electrodes
At Mass General for Children, the recommendation to consider surgery is initially made by the epilepsy surgery team, a comprehensive multi-disciplinary group comprising:
- Pediatric epileptologists
- Neurologists
- Neurosurgeons
- Neuropsychologists
- Psychologists
- Nurses
- Neuro-clinical social workers
- EEG technologists
- Occupational therapists
Comprehensive Evaluation
The evaluation usually includes a hospital stay for EEG monitoring, with 24-hour continuous video monitoring. To aid in the surgical evaluation, some of the most advanced imaging capabilities in the world are being utilized. In addition to standard CT and MRI, offerings include PET (positron emission tomography) scanning for looking at the body’s biochemical functions, functional MRI for providing 3D structural and functional brain imaging, MR spectroscopy for viewing the neurochemistry of the brain and special, high-resolution MRI scanning provide detailed anatomical views, and magnetoencephalography.
The evaluation is conducted on the pediatric unit with special pediatric support systems in place, including dedicated epilepsy nurse specialists and pediatric neurosurgery nurse practitioners who provide ongoing support for the child and family throughout the child’s treatment plan.
Schedule a Virtual or Telephone Visit
Care teams across Mass General for Children are available to provide care via phone or online video visits. Call 888-644-3248 to learn more.
COVID-19 Resources for Families
Articles and Q&As from providers across MGfC on how to take care of your children and yourself during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Support Mass General for Children
Your gift to MGfC will support our comprehensive, compassionate clinical care model, advance our innovative research and help us continue caring for underserved children and their families locally and around the world.