Inside Pediatrics Fall/Winter 2024

New Options for Epilepsy Patients NEUROSURGEON PERFORMS DBS FOR EPILEPSY, IMPLANTING RNS DEVICE I n January 2024, a University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) pediatric neurosurgeon performed Children’s of Alabama’s first deep brain stimulation (DBS) procedure for epilepsy, offering a new treatment option for pediatric patients who experience drug-resistant seizures.

was designed to communicate with a computer to record brain activity, recognize seizure-related patterns and deliver stimulation to suppress seizures. The device, which is curved for better placement within the skull, monitors brainwaves constantly and can be customized on a patient by-patient basis. “Much like a cardiac pacemaker that senses and responds to abnormal heart rhythms, this combination of technologies detects brain activity that precedes seizures and then stimulate pathways deep in the brain to either prevent seizures from starting or stop seizure activity in its tracks,” said Rozzelle.

During the procedure, Curtis J. Rozzelle, M.D., a professor in the UAB Department of Neurosurgery, also implanted the first NeuroPace responsive neurostimulation (RNS) epilepsy treatment device at Children’s.

The NeuroPace RNS® System, which consists of a small generator attached by leads to electrodes,

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