In fact, life gets so good that virtually all of them wish they'd had the surgery earlier instead of waiting for a medication that would work. The UCI Comprehensive Epilepsy Program is the only facility of its kind in Orange County - and one of four such centers in the greater Los Angeles area. It offers patients the opportunity to have their condition evaluated by experts. Physicians at the center determine the type of epilepsy a patient has and determine medication dosages. They also make recommendation for better seizure control and assess patients for surgery, if appropriate.
Epilepsy can develop at any time in a person's life.
But almost 75 percent of the 100,000 new cases each year begin in adolescence. Since there are more than 30 chronic brain-function disorders known as epilepsy, a definitive diagnosis is crucial. In half these cases, the cause is unknown. As for the rest, they're the result of head injuries, tumors, meningitis or exposure to toxins. Physicians at the center are specialists in evaluating patients who have recently become epileptic, as well as those who have had the condition for a long time.