Epilepsy
The Comprehensive Epilepsy Clinic at BIDMC is a multidisciplinary program under the direction of Donald Schomer, MD, and Susan Herman, MD. Neurosurgeon Jeffrey Arle, MD, PhD, leads the clinic's Epilepsy Surgery Program.
The clinic offers patients with known or suspected epilepsy a full breadth of services, including:
- diagnostic evaluations
- medical management
- medication trials
- neurosurgical treatment
Neurosurgical procedures include:
- invasive EEG monitoring (both surface and depth electrodes)
- temporal lobectomy
- extratemporal resections
- cingulotomy
- vagus nerve stimulation
As an integral member of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Clinic, Dr. Arle participates in the weekly epilepsy conference, where the management of patients with complex conditions is discussed, as well as the weekly epilepsy research conference.
In addition to Dr. Arle, an experienced board-certified neurosurgeon, the clinic's staff includes neurologists, neurology fellows, neurophysiologists, neuropsychologists, psychiatrists, engineers, epilepsy nurse specialists, EEG nurse specialists, and social workers.
The clinic staff work closely with other Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center divisions, including behavioral neurology, neuroendocrinology, and neuroradiology, to ensure that patients have access to other key services in a well-coordinated manner.