VALHALLA, N.Y. (April 23, 2021) –WMCHealth's Maria Fareri Children's Hospital has been accredited as a Level 4 Epilepsy Center by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC). Under its accreditation process, the NAEC recognized Maria Fareri Children's Hospital as a Level 4 Epilepsy Center because it has "the professional expertise and facilities to provide the highest level medical and surgical evaluation and treatment for patients with complex epilepsy."
The comprehensive diagnostic and surgical epilepsy program at Maria Fareri Children's Hospital includes a multidisciplinary team of specialists including pediatric neurosurgeons, pediatric neurologists (epileptologists), a neuropsychologist, neuroradiologists and other subspecialists that personalize treatment courses for each patient. The program is led by Carrie Muh, MD, Maria Fareri Children's Hospital's Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery and pediatric neurologist Steve Wolf, MD.
As a Level 4 Epilepsy Center, Maria Fareri Children's Hospital "provides the more complex forms of intensive neurodiagnostic monitoring, as well as more extensive medical, neuropsychological, and psychosocial treatment", according to the NAEC. As part of the program, Maria Fareri Children's Hospital has a comprehensive Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) with video EEG monitoring, surgical stereo EEG monitoring with robotic electrode placement for improved speed and accuracy, and "a complete evaluation system for epilepsy surgery, including intracranial electrodes and a broad range of surgical procedures for epilepsy," per NAEC guidelines.
One such procedure used by specialists at Maria Fareri Children's Hospital to minimize epilepsy's effect on children is laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT). Pediatric neurosurgeons at Maria Fareri Children's Hospital use LITT to eradicate, safely and accurately, the specific region of the brain where epileptic seizures begin without affecting other brain functions.
Maria Fareri Children's Hospital also is a member of the Pediatric Epilepsy Research Consortium (PERC) and is an approved Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance TSC (tuberous sclerosis complex) Clinic.
To make an appointment for a consultation on pediatric epilepsy and seizure treatment solutions offered by Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, families should call 914.775.5437, and visit MariaFareriChildrens.org/Pediatric-Epilepsy-Program for more information, including a list of care providers. Families should go to the nearest emergency department immediately if their child is experiencing a seizure or other emergency related to epilepsy.
Level 4 Epilepsy Center Accreditation
According to its website, the NAEC is a non-profit association comprised of more than 230 specialized epilepsy centers in the United States. Accreditation requirements include adherence to guidelines set by the association that includes, but is not limited to, patient volume, services offered, program personnel, technologies and safety and treatment protocols.