Patients living with epilepsy, a
complex seizure disorder, face
many challenges. Characterized by
disabling seizures triggered by
abnormal electrical activity in the
brain cells, the disease can manifest
itself through a range of
symptoms from minor physical
signs and thought disturbances to
traumatic physical convulsions.
Several types of seizures are easy
to control, and many patients are
well enough between episodes to
lead normal lives. However, about
30 percent of the estimated three
million Americans with
epilepsy suffer with persistent seizures.
In an outstanding validation of its
commitment to improving the lives of
patients with epilepsy, The Winthrop
Comprehensive Epilepsy Center was
recently recognized by the National
Association of Epilepsy Centers
(NAEC) as a Level 4 Epilepsy Center.
Level 4 Epilepsy Centers have the professional
expertise and facilities to
provide the highest level of medical and
surgical evaluation and treatment for
patients with complex epilepsy.
“This outstanding achievement
is a testament to Winthrop’s dedicated
team of epilepsy physicians –
Dr. Alan Ettinger, Dr. David
Friedman, Dr. Brian Snyder,
Dr. Shicong Ye, Dr. Neil Schaul,
Dr. Dmitriy Kolesnik, Dr. Vijaya
Atluru and Dr. Mark Stecker,
Chairman of Neurosciences,” said
Malcolm Gottesman, MD, Chief
of Neurology and Director of
The MS Treatment Program at
Winthrop. “Their tireless commitment,
and the support of a highly
skilled interdisciplinary team, has
advanced the care of countless
patients with epilepsy.”
Members of Winthrop’s Comprehensive Epilepsy Center
Team celebrate their designation as a Level 4 Epilepsy Center
with members of Winthrop’s Administration.
Winthrop’s Epilepsy
Monitoring Unit was designed
to evaluate, diagnose and treat
patients who experience hard-to-treat
epileptic seizures. The Unit offers prolonged
24/7 monitoring in order to
identify the specific region of the brain
in which each patient’s seizures originate
and provide the appropriate
treatment to reduce or eliminate the
episodes. Among the features of the
Unit is extended video electroencephalography
(EEG) monitoring.
Winthrop’s Epilepsy Monitoring
Unit is just one of a comprehensive
range of diagnostic services for seizure
disorder patients. Services also include
positron emission tomography (PET),
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
and neuroimaging studies administered
by a multidisciplinary team of
specialists at Winthrop.
Winthrop’s Department for
Neurosciences also offers specialized
centers for Parkinson’s and other
movement disorders. Physicians are
pioneering the use of technologically
advanced approaches for diagnosis and
treatment, including state-of-the-art
surgical interventions and the latest
generation of medication therapies.
In fact, Winthrop is the only hospital
on Long Island to offer Deep Brain
Stimulation for movement disorders
such as Parkinson’s. Deep Brain
Stimulation is based on the premise
that electronic stimulation of particular
regions of the brain can improve
the major symptoms of some movement
disorders and may help reduce
the amount of medication needed to
manage symptoms more effectively.
For more information about The
Winthrop Comprehensive Epilepsy
Center, call 1-866-WINTHROP.
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Vol. 22, No. 2
Summer 2012
Back to Publications
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