Seminar to highlight epilepsy research
Improvements in diagnosis, treatment and surgical solutions for children with epilepsy are the topics of an upcoming podcast and seminar featuring Vanderbilt experts.
Juliann Paolicchi, M.D., director of the Pediatric Epilepsy Center at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, will be the guest on a national webcast about childhood epilepsy and some of the latest treatments. Paolicchi will be interviewed by Andrew Schorr for his weekly radio and Internet program, “Patient Power.” The webcast on Tuesday, March 24, from 6-8 p.m., will take questions from the public at www.patientpower.info/webcastdetails.asp?dateid=3/24/2009&webcast-id=VMC032409.
Families and patients are invited to register for an epilepsy symposium at Wilson Hall on the Vanderbilt campus, Saturday, April 4 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information and to register, go to www.vanderbiltchildrens.com/interior.php?mid=5261.
Paolicchi says there is much for parents to understand. Seizures can range from mild — appearing to be staring spells — to serious and even life-threatening. The recurrent seizures of epilepsy can sometimes lead to a number of more subtle problems, like learning disabilities or mood disorders.