What is a seizure and what is epilepsy?

What is a seizure and what is epilepsy?

A seizure results from abnormal electrical activity of some groups of nerve cells in the brain. It is a transient condition, during which we have a variety of clinical manifestations. An epileptic seizure usually lasts from a few seconds to a few minutes. Epilepsy is a neurological disease characterised by irregular electrical discharges, which affect brain activity depending on the site of onset and is characterised by seizures.

What are the types of seizures?

In general, seizures are divided into two types:

• Generalised seizures (whole brain involvement)
• Focal seizures (involving part of the brain)

What factors increase the risk of epilepsy?

• Brain damage
• Family history
• Age
• Dementia

Treatment of epilepsy at the "Agios Loukas" Clinic

In the Neurology Department of our Clinic, under the supervision of the neurologist-epileptologist Dr. Kyriakos Garganis and in collaboration with the Biomedical Imaging and Graphics Laboratory (BIOMIG), the treatment of epilepsy is carried out with the most modern and innovative methodologies that are implemented only in the largest epilepsy centers in Europe and America.

Diagnosis of epilepsy at the "Agios Loukas" Clinic

The diagnosis of epilepsy in our clinic is made after a 24-hour video-electroencephalographic recording, during which the specialist neurologist - epileptologist accurately identifies the abnormal electrical activity that appears on the electroencephalogram. At the same time, during seizures, he switches to conclusions about the source of the epileptogenic zone.

Simultaneous electroencephalogram and functional magnetic resonance imaging

A pioneering imaging method is the simultaneous acquisition of electroencephalogram and functional magnetic resonance imaging. In this scan, the patient wears a cap with 32 electrodes and remains in the MRI scanner for about 30 minutes to an hour, in a resting or sleeping state. Analysis of the data collected by both systems allows the identification and visualisation, with millimetre precision, of the epileptic zone of the patient's brain.

Figure 1: Illustration of simultaneous electroencephalogram and functional magnetic resonance imaging in epilepsy

In Greece, this technique is offered exclusively by the "Agios Loukas" Clinic. for more than 10 years under the supervision of Dr. Kyriakos Garganis, a neurologist-epileptologist, and is used by the largest epilepsy diagnostic centers in Europe and America.

Electrical Source Imaging (ESI)

An additional method for the identification of the epileptogenic zone, in which the "Agios Loukas" Clinic is a pioneer for Greek standards and has developed, is Electrical Source Imaging (ESI). It is a complex and time-consuming procedure that takes advantage of the complexity of the process:

• The recording of the video-electroencephalogram
• Anatomical magnetic imaging (T1 and T2)
• Simultaneous electroencephalography and functional magnetic resonance imaging

Its purpose is to find the source area of the epileptic signal, as well as the pathway of the signal and the areas affected.

Figure 2: Illustration of electrical sources in epilepsy