Referral to National Highly Specialised Care (NHV) in epilepsy surgery assessment and treatment

There is a group of patients suffering from intractable epilepsy for whom drug treatment is insufficient. Surgical treatment may be an option for these patients. If this is considered, a thorough investigation is carried out to determine the type of seizure and where in the brain the seizures start.

 Region Uppsala is one of three centres in Sweden licensed to perform epilepsy surgery and invasive investigations prior to such treatment. We work closely with care providers who refer patients to us through regular video conferences and training sessions.

The other two centres licensed for epilepsy surgery are Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg and Skåne University Hospital in Lund.

Investigation and treatment

At Uppsala University Hospital, we have a multidisciplinary epilepsy surgery team with extensive experience of advanced investigations prior to epilepsy surgery.

We have two specialised units, one for paediatric and one for adult neurologists, where patients are admitted for 2-7 days for long-term video-EEG recording and sometimes invasive deep brain electrode monitoring (stereo-EEG). Other common examinations include MRI, PET, SISCOM, tractography, fMRI and neuropsychological assessment. After careful discussion and review of patient cases at a joint conference, we make an overall assessment of the possibilities for surgery.

We perform various types of surgical procedures, such as lesionectomies, temporal lobe resections and laser ablations. In addition, we perform implantations of neurostimulation devices, including vagus nerve stimulators and deep brain stimulation.

The picture shows a hybrid MRI room at Uppsala University Hospital. A hybrid MRI is a combination of an MRI camera and an operating theatre and is also called an intraoperative MRI operating theatre. When the camera is ready to be used, the MRI camera is moved into the operating theatre via a rail in the ceiling.

Contact details

Eva Kumlien (neurology) 
Elias Lindvall (neurology) 
Kristina Rosengren Forsblad (paediatric neurology) 
Sami Abu Hamdeh (neurosurgery)

You can contact the doctors via the switchboard on 018-611 00 00.