Florida Hospital for Children Receives Highest Designation for Epilepsy Care

By  //  May 9, 2012

Children's Health

(VIDEO: )

ORLANDO, FLORIDA – In less than one year since its inception, the Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy Center at Florida Hospital for Children has been awarded the designation of a Level 4 Epilepsy Center, which is the highest designation for epilepsy centers in the nation. The designation was awarded by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC), which evaluates the appropriateness and quality of specialized epilepsy care.

Dr. Ki Hyeong Lee

“Being named a Level 4 Epilepsy Center shows the Central Florida community that Florida Hospital for Children is committed to providing the best care available to children suffering from epilepsy,” said Dr. Ki Hyeong Lee, medical director of the Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy Center at Florida Hospital for Children. “It takes a multi-disciplinary team of physicians, nurses, researchers, therapists and others to create a comprehensive center that offers the best medical treatment for epilepsy.”

The Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy Center at Florida Hospital for Children is led by Dr. Lee and surgical director Dr. James Baumgartner. The center offers patients and families access to a multi-disciplinary approach and provides patients with access to a variety of treatments ranging from innovative non-surgical options, such as the ketogenic diet, to advanced surgical treatments, including operating rooms with the only intraoperative 3T MRI functionality in Central Florida.

Michele Peters saw her daughter suffer from epilepsy for more than 10 years without answers. “Mackenzie had suffered a stroke in the womb which had led to years of suffering from unexpected seizures,” said Michele. “Our family had tried a variety of medications but nothing seemed to work.”

The Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy Center at Florida Hospital for Children is led by Dr. Lee (center) and surgical director Dr. James Baumgartner (left). (Image for SpaceCoastMedicine.com)

At Florida Hospital for Children, Mackenzie underwent surgery to remove the part of her brain that had been causing her seizures using the latest technology available to help the physicians be as precise as possible and minimize the need for additional surgeries. Today, she is seizure free and able to enjoy activities that a normal fifth grader is supposed to enjoy without the constant worry of seizures.

“I cannot thank the team at Florida Hospital for Children enough,” said Michele. “I hope that other families see this designation of a Level 4 Epilepsy Center as a sign of hope and comfort that there is an epilepsy center right here in our community that can provide the best care possible. Mackenzie is now completely seizure free and back to doing her favorite activities: swimming, riding her horse and climbing trees. She is a normal kid again.”

According to NAEC, a fourth-level center should provide the more complex forms of intensive neurodiagnostics monitoring, as well as more extensive medical, neuropsychological and psychosocial treatment. Fourth-level centers also offer a complete evaluation for epilepsy surgery, including intracranial electrodes, and provide a broad range of surgical procedures for epilepsy.

For more information on The Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy Center at Florida Hospital for Children, please call 407-303-KIDS.