Since 1991, the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at Sutter Medical Center has been dedicated to caring for children and adults with epilepsy and helping those with epilepsy-like spells determine causes and solutions. The center's staff includes epileptologists (physicians specializing in epilepsy), pediatric and adult neurosurgeons, neuro-nursing staff, and a 24-hour staff of monitoring technicians. The multidisciplinary team works together, evaluating the patient's seizures, diagnosing causes and deciding on the most meaningful treatment approach. The team also includes patients, loved ones and referring doctors, who play critical roles in bringing about the best possible outcomes for each patient's long-term well being.

Mission Statement

To provide our patients with the opportunity to lead lives that are free from seizures and the burdens they impose, and free from the side effects of medications.

Our Team

The Sutter Neuroscience Institute's Comprehensive Epilepsy Center team consists of nationally recognized specialists supported by a highly trained and experienced technical and nursing staff.

Adult Neurologists

• Robert Burgerman, M.D., Medical Director
• Rosalind Hsia, M.D.

Pediatric Neurologists

• Shailesh Asaikar, M.D.
• Paul Chretien, M.D.

Neurosurgeons

• Cully Cobb, M.D.
• Samuel Ciricillo, M.D.
• Edie Zusman, M.D.

Technologists

• Brenda McKnight, Neurodiagnostic Lab Supervisor
• Eddie Nix, Registered EEG Technologist
• Janet Quan, Registered EEG Technologist
• Valerie Hacking, Registered EEG Technologist
• Larry Jankovic, Registered EEG Technologist, Registered EP Technologist and Intraoperative Monitoring Certified
• Irma Sanchez, Board Eligible Technician

Monitoring Techs

• Jill Howard
• Vincent Hill
• Tarilla Stephens
• Katie Hawkins
• Irma Sanchez
• Fereshteh Ghodhousi

Facilities

Under the auspices of the Sutter Neuroscience Institute, the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program is housed within Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento. Adult patients receive inpatient care in the neuro-observation unit at Sutter General Hospital where sophisticated equipment and a specially trained monitoring staff provide 24-hour continuous closed-circuit television/electroencephalographic (CCTV/EEG) observation. Children are cared for at Sutter Memorial Hospital in private monitoring rooms. Patients with serious seizure problems are monitored in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. The same specialized staff monitors adult and pediatric epilepsy patients through a dedicated hospital network that enables observation and two-way communication.

Through its affiliation with Sutter Neuroscience Institute, the program provides access to highly specialized equipment for diagnosis and treatment. In addition to around-the-clock monitoring, diagnostic capabilities include ambulatory electroencephalograph (EEG), electrode implantation for detailing seizure focus, positron emission tomography (PET) scans, Wada testing to identify dominant hemisphere for speech and hearing, electrocorticography mapping of seizure borders, functional cortical mapping and magnetic resonance (MRI) studies. Treatment options include advanced surgical techniques and Gamma Knife® radiosurgery for nonsurgical treatment. The team also participates actively in research, offering patients access to promising new developments.

News and Events

• Epilepsy Support Group

Affiliations

The Comprehensive Epilepsy Program is part of the Sutter Neuroscience Institute's (SNI) comprehensive offering of care for conditions of the brain, spine and central nervous system. SNI is a regional program of Sutter Health, located within Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento, a Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) accredited hospital designated as a Hospital Quality Alliance Participant. In 2003, Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento earned JCAHO's Franklin Award of Distinction honoring "a case management system that demonstrates excellence in building collaboration among the various professional and technical staff in the hospital to focus on case management and performance measurement results having a positive effect on patient care." [Quoted section for JCAHO's Quality Check section at www.jcaho.org.]

The hospitals are part of the Sutter Health Sacramento Sierra Region and operate under the direction of the Sutter Health Sacramento Sierra Region Board of Trustees.

Research Affiliations
Comprehensive Epilepsy Program physicians actively participate in research through Sutter Institute for Medical Research, enabling the program to provide access to clinical trials of the latest advances in epilepsy treatment. In addition, center physicians are active in the larger epilepsy research arena. Neurosurgeon Edie E. Zusman, M.D., F.A.C.S., has been recognized by the National Science Foundation, Center for Biophotonics for her work in the visible labeling of epileptic cells. She was recently named principal investigator and awarded funding to continue her basic research to determine causes and find clues to this challenging disease. Since 2002, Dr. Zusman has collaborated with UCLA neurosurgeon Linda M. Liau, M.D., Ph.D., to collect and analyze epilepsy and brain tumor tissue for the Bob Holm Donor Tissue Bank. The tissue bank contains specimens of brain tumor and epileptic tissue that is used in current studies and preserved for future research.