Multidisciplinary Epilepsy Centre

Epilepsy affects approximately 1% of the population and can occur at any age. In one third of cases, anti-epileptic medicines do not provide adequate control. The impact on daily life, particularly the ability to work and drive, can then be considerable.

The Multidisciplinary Epilepsy Centre provides multidisciplinary care for adult patients with epilepsy of any type and severity. The aims of care are freedom from seizures and an improved quality of life. The centre is recognised by INAMI as an accredited Belgian centre for the management of drug-resistant epilepsies.

The multidisciplinary approach makes it possible to offer the full range of treatments, from the most recent medicines to surgical options (brain surgery, Gamma Knife, vagus nerve stimulation and deep brain stimulation).

Alongside this work, the centre has developed particular expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of epileptic emergencies (status epilepticus) and EEG brain monitoring of critically ill hospitalised patients.

Medical expertise:

  • specialist outpatient consultations
  • specialist advice for patients admitted to the Emergency Department or hospitalised, particularly in the Intensive Care Unit
  • prolonged video-EEG recordings (24 hours or several days) for the diagnosis of habitual seizures and pre-surgical assessment of drug-resistant epilepsies in the specialised epilepsy monitoring unit
  • intracranial EEG recordings for the management of drug-resistant epilepsies amenable to surgery
  • prolonged inpatient EEG recordings, particularly in the Intensive Care Unit, for the diagnosis of epileptic seizures in critically ill patients

Scientific activity:

  • participation in the Epinet network (an international, industry-independent research platform)
  • participation in industry-sponsored pharmaceutical studies on the use of the most recent medicines
  • participation in the Epinord network (Franco-Belgian expert group on intracranial EEG)
  • participation in the EpiGen network (an international research consortium on genetic factors contributing to epilepsy), as well as in several research projects on the genetics and pharmacogenetics of epilepsy
  • participation in the international research consortium on EEG in patients in the Intensive Care Unit (CCEMRC)