The First Seizure Clinic at Children’s Hospital, LHSC evaluates children who have experienced their first unprovoked seizure.
Majority of children who experience a first seizure will not experience a second. However, a comprehensive assessment is needed to determine if there may be a number of risk factors that could lead to a more serious medical condition such as epilepsy.
The aim of this clinic is to see children rapidly through an urgent referral system, this is to avoid delays in assessing and diagnosing children with epilepsy in order to start any necessary treatment and connecting families with resources as there is often a significant impact on social and psychological health.
The First Seizure Clinic is led by a Nurse Practitioner (NP) who specializes in Paediatric Epilepsy in collaboration with one of the epileptologists.
During the clinic visit, the NP will ask questions to help determine a cause for the seizure and develop an appropriate and personalized plan of care. A typical Fist Seizure Clinic Visit consists of:
- Taking the child’s medical history
- Conducting a physical and neurological examination
- There is a potential for an electroencephalogram (EEG) and/or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) head to be ordered
- A potential treatment option is anti-seizure medication therapy
