Epilepsy
What we do
Our nationally and internationally renowned academic and clinical epilepsy unit provides care, support and information for people with epilepsy, both newly diagnosed and long-standing. Many patients with complex epilepsy are referred to us from other centres to benefit from our expertise.
Depending on age, we see patients in our general paediatric, or adult neurology and specialist epilepsy clinics. We liaise with other specialties and GPs to provide all-round care including investigations, diagnoses and the latest treatments, plus information and support.
We are part of the paediatric and adult Neurosciences departments. Our team consists of paediatric and adult neurologists, neurophysiologists, neurosurgeons, paediatric and adult epilepsy nurses, epilepsy counsellors, neuropsychologists, neuropathologists and neuroradiologists. We work closely with child and adult psychiatry, specialist consultant obstetrics and midwifery.
We have a comprehensive range of sub-specialist services including epilepsy genetics, epilepsy surgery and speciality clinics in epilepsy in pregnancy and tuberous sclerosis.
As part of our presurgical assessment we offer invasive monitoring (SEEG), and epilepsy surgical procedures including laser surgery and neuromodulation for patients whose medication is unsuccessful and who still have on-going seizures. We also carry out trials of new medications.
We have close links with our academic department which researches the latest technology to help us to diagnose, assess and treat epilepsy and we are a specialist centre for rare epilepsy and super refractory status including NORSE. Find out more about our work on early onset neurodevelopmental disorders.
Epilepsy surgery and MRg LITT
Epilepsy surgery
The epilepsy surgery service at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the longest established epilepsy surgery services in the UK. It operates within the King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre that includes King’s College London, Guys’ and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. It is the only epilepsy surgery service in the UK offering investigation and surgical treatment for both adults and children. It draws on extensive experience in the investigation and management of epilepsy across all age groups.
We provide a seamless transition service as well as effective investigation and treatment of young people with medically intractable epilepsy in their transitioning years (16 to 18 years old). We are part of the London CESS (Children’s Epilepsy Surgery Service), working together with Evelina London Children’s Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children.
We offer pre-surgical evaluation and surgical treatment of adult and child patients with medically refractory epilepsy within an established care pathway, in conjunction with our clinical and academic partners at Guys’ and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. We perform a comprehensive range of investigations including video EEG (including home video telemetry), MRI (3T and 7T), functional MRI, PET, SPECT, carotid amytal testing, neuropsychology, neuropsychiatry, and Stereo-EEG. The surgery is delivered by three consultant neurosurgeons trained in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery.
The outcomes of all adults and children undergoing epilepsy surgery are reviewed in a multidisciplinary conference at 1 month and 1 year after surgery.
MRg-LITT Service
King’s also provides the national MRg-LITT (MRI guided laser interstitial thermal therapy) surgery service for epilepsy for the South of England.
Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) is a new form of minimally invasive surgical treatment for epilepsy. It involves inserting a small laser catheter through a small opening in the skull into the part of the brain that is causing seizures. Compared with traditional open surgery, laser interstitial thermal therapy is a less invasive approach to surgery which allows faster recovery and a shorter hospital stay.
Preparing for your appointment
If you have undiagnosed or new onset fits/blackouts: it is important that someone who has witnessed your seizures comes with you to your clinic appointment. If available, please bring any video footage you may have. If this is not possible, please try to get a documented account from a witness or provide their contact details. In addition, bring a list of your medications and be ready to tell us your medical history starting from your early childhood. For children, please bring their red book if available and any information about development or schooling that may be helpful.
If you have been diagnosed as having epilepsy: in addition to the above, please bring a list of medications and an account of your seizures and the dates on which you had them to your clinic appointment. If this is your first appointment with King’s epilepsy service, please bring information of all previous treatments and investigations you have had or details of how we can obtain this information later.
While you are waiting to be seen by us, do not drive if you are having seizures or blackouts. This is a legal requirement. Also consider your own safety and avoid putting yourself at risk.
Recommended resources
- Young Epilepsy
- Epilepsy Action
- Epilepsy Society
- SUDEP Action
- UK Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register
- The Tuberous Sclerosis Association
- South East Thames Paediatric Epilepsy Group
Location
Adults: First floor, Willowfield Building, King’s College Hospital, Bessemer Road, London, SE5 9BG
Paediatrics: Children’s Outpatients, Third Floor, Hambleden Wing, King’s College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 9RS
Contact Details
- Adult epilepsy outpatient appointments: 020 3299 6804
- Paediatric epilepsy outpatient appointments: 020 3299 3560
- Epilepsy Surgery Co-ordinator: 020 3299 8305
Patient information leaflets
| Title | File Size | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Epilepsy and seizures | 175 KB | |
| Stress management for people with epilepsy | 177 KB |
Conditions we treat
We treat adults and children with:
- suspected epileptic seizures
- complex epilepsy
- ongoing seizures
- controlled epilepsy considering withdrawal
- genetic epilepsy including specialised Dravet syndrome clinics
- tuberous sclerosis
We also offer clarification of diagnosis, pre-conception counselling for women of childbearing age with epilepsy and provide assessment of autonomic function.
We assess patients for possible surgical treatments including resective surgery, vagus nerve stimulation and MRI guided laser therapy.
What is required before referring a patient
- Where possible, please include a detailed witness account of the patient’s seizure or episode.
- In new onset cases or cases undergoing review of diagnosis, please ask the patient to bring a witness to the appointment.
- Please provide information about all previous investigations if done elsewhere and any current or previous treatment for seizures and response.
- Please indicate that you have advised the patient about safety issues and driving regulations pending the appointment.
Booking a patient at King’s
Routine Referrals
For adult referrals please send to: [email protected]
For paediatric referrals please send to: [email protected]
Epilepsy surgery and LiTT
The Epilepsy Surgery and LiTT team accepts tertiary referrals only.
Referrals for adult epilepsy surgery should be sent to [email protected]. For children and young people up to age 19, epilsepy surgery referrals should be sent to [email protected]. We receive most of our referrals from healthcare professionals in secondary care (neurologists and paediatricians).
LiTT referrals should be sent to: [email protected] (please note, this email address will not respond to requests for information on MRg-LITT).
We accept referrals for consideration of MRg-LITT from epilepsy surgery centres. Patients should already have undergone pre-surgical evaluation for epilepsy surgery at the local epilepsy surgery service. If a patient has not been referred to the local epilepsy surgery service, please do so in the first instance.
Referrals for MRg-LITT will be discussed in our virtual epilepsy surgery MDT. The referring team will be invited to participate in the MDT discussion and the patient’s treatment.
Emergency Referrals
Patients requiring emergency care should be advised to attend their local Emergency Department.
For urgent outpatient neurology appointments, refer patients to general neurology to be seen in the emergency neurology clinic, as appropriate.
Key Clinical Staff
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Dr Franz Brunnhuber | Consultant Neurophysiologist |
| Dr Su Chakrabarti | Consultant Paediatric Psychiatrist |
| Dr Monique Cloherty | Consultant Clinical Neuropsychologist |
| Cheila Conceicao | Clinical Nurse Specialist (Adults) |
| Mr Harutomo Hasegawa | Consultant Neurosurgeon |
| Helen Hordle | Clinical Nurse Specialist (Adults) |
| Dr Isabel Garrood | Consultant Paediatric Clinical Neuropsychologist |
| Robyn Greaves | Clinical Nurse Specialist (Paediatrics) |
| Floralba Hague | Epilepsy Counsellor |
| Dr Elaine Hughes | Consultant Paediatric Neurologist |
| Dr Jozef Jarosz | Consultant Neuroradiologist |
| Lynn Keen | Clinical Nurse Specialist (Paediatrics) |
| Mr Irfan Malik | Consultant Neurosurgeon |
| Dr Laura Mantoan | Consultant Neurologist |
| Debbie Miller | Clinical Nurse Specialist (Adults) |
| Dr Nandini Mullatti | Consultant Clinical Neurophysiologist |
| Dr Lina Nashef | Consultant Neurologist |
| Prof Mark Richardson | Paul Getty III Professor of Epilepsy in Neurosciences |
| Mr Richard Selway | Consultant Neurosurgeon |
| Dr Ata Siddiqui | Consultant Neuroradiologist |
| Dr Ioannis Stavropoulos | Consultant Neurologist and Neurophysiologist |
| Dr Evangelia Theochari | Consultant Neurologist |
| Dr Joel Winston | Senior Clinical Lecturer (KCL) and Honorary Consultant in Clinical Neurophysiology |