Neuropaediatrics

• The refractory epilepsy unit provides personalised care with a special focus on ensuring that the patient and family are involved in the care plan. Thanks to a highly specialised multidisciplinary team, the child is at the centre of care when:   

1. treating epileptic episodes with innovative treatment (medicinal, dietary, surgical in cooperation with the Erasmus Hospital)   

2. dealing with learning difficulties and the psychological and social impact of the illness.  

• The neuromuscular reference centre proposes consultations for diagnosing neuromuscular diseases and multidisciplinary care involving physiotherapists, orthopaedists, ergotherapists, psychologists, etc. in cooperation with the centre dedicated to adults at the Erasmus Hospital. For some diseases gene therapies can be proposed.   
• Specialised consultation for neuro-inflammatory pathologies permits an adapted and multidisciplinary treatment of these rare and complex diseases involving intensive care, physical medicine and pain management.   
• Prenatal diagnosis proposes the treatment of neurological diseases at the earliest possible stage with pre- and post-natal teams from the HUB and IRIS networks. This makes it possible to determine the neurological prognosis, to participate in therapeutic decisions and to provide pre- and post-natal follow up best suited to the specific and ethical needs of the child and family.   
• The multidisciplinary centre for neurodevelopmental pathologies proposes multidisciplinary consultations for the optimal care of these pathologies. Consultations with all the specialists are scheduled on the same day to avoid unnecessary travel. 
• (Very) premature babies are monitored by the department after their stay in the neonatal unit, possibly in collaboration with a private paediatrician. 
• The CRFNI, a centre where children are tested (multidisciplinary assessments: occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech therapy, neuropsychology) and monitored (rehabilitation). The centre also monitors children with cerebral palsy.  

The Neuropaediatrics Department cooperates with other national and international university centres within the European Research Network (ERN) EpiCare via the BRACE (Brussels Rare and Complex Epilepsies) centre.  

Teaching is at the heart of the department's practice: 

• As an internship department approved by the Federal Department of Public Health for paediatric neurology, we organise weekly multidisciplinary tours with trainee doctors in particular.  
• We participate actively in a number of interuniversity certificates (epilepsy, neuromuscular diseases, paediatric neurology).   
• Several doctors and paramedics teach and supervise doctoral theses in several faculties.