Skip to Content
800-533-8762
  • Careers
  • Newsroom
  • Health Care Professionals
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
UPMC
  • Find a Doctor
  • Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
      Allergy & Immunology Behavioral & Mental Health Cancer Ear, Nose & Throat Endocrinology Gastroenterology Heart & Vascular Imaging Neurosciences Orthopaedics
      Physical Rehabilitation Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Primary Care Senior Services Sports Medicine Telemedicine Transplant Surgery Walk-In Care Weight Management Women’s Health
      See all Services
    • Services by Region
    • Find a UPMC health care facility close to you quickly by browsing by region.
      UPMC in Western Pa. Western Pa. and New York
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Services
  • Locations
    • Locations by Type
    • Locations by Type
      UPMC hospitals
      Hospitals
      Physical Therapy
      Physical Therapy
      Urgent care
      Walk-In Care
      UPMC Outpatient Centers
      Outpatient Centers
      UPMC Imaging Services
      Imaging
      Community Health Centers
      Community Health Centers
      See All Locations
    • Locations by Region
    • Locations by Region
      UPMC in Southwest Pa. Southwest Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Northwest Pa and Ny. Northwest Pa. & Western N.Y.
      UPMC in West Central Pa. West Central Pa.
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Locations
  • Patients & Visitors
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
      Patients and Visitors Resources Pay a Bill Classes & Events Medical Records Health Library Patient Information
      Patient Portals Privacy Information Shared Decision Making Traveling Patients Visitor Information
      Man uses mobile phone
      Pay a Bill
      Nurse reviews medical chart
      Request Medical Records
  • Patient Portals
  • Find Covid-19 updates
  • Schedule an appointment
  • Request medical records
  • Pay a bill
  • Learn about financial assistance
  • Find classes & events
  • Send a patient an eCard
  • Make a donation
  • Volunteer
  • Read HealthBeat blog
  • Explore UPMC Careers
Skip to Content
UPMC
  • Patient Portals
  • For Patients & Visitors
    • Find a Doctor
    • Locations
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Pay a Bill
    • Services
    • More
      • Medical Records
      • Financial Assistance
      • Classes & Events
      • HealthBeat Blog
      • Health Library
  • About UPMC
    • Why UPMC
    • Facts & Stats
    • Supply Chain Management
    • Community Commitment
    • More
      • Financials
      • Support UPMC
      • UPMC Apps
      • UPMC Enterprises
      • UPMC International
  • For Health Care Professionals
    • Physician Information
    • Resources
    • Education & Training
    • Departments
    • Credentialing
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Newsroom
  • UPMC >
  • Our Services >
  • Neurosurgery >
  • ... >
  • Brain >
  • Conditions >
  • Movement Disorders & Epilepsy >
  • Conditions >
  • Epilepsy
Neurosurgery
About Us
Contact Us
Conditions and Treatments
Brain
Conditions
Brain Tumors
Pituitary and Skull Base Tumors
Neurovascular
Cranial Nerve Disorders
Movement Disorders & Epilepsy
Conditions
Dystonia
Epilepsy
Essential Tremor
Parkinson's Disease
Treatments
Chiari Malformation
Trauma & Injury
Treatments
Spine Neurosurgery
Neurophysiology
Meet the Neurosurgery Experts
Patient Stories
Classes, Events, & News
Neurocirugia
Neurosurgery
About Us
Contact Us
Conditions and Treatments
Brain
Conditions
Brain Tumors
Pituitary and Skull Base Tumors
Neurovascular
Cranial Nerve Disorders
Movement Disorders & Epilepsy
Conditions
Dystonia
Epilepsy
Essential Tremor
Parkinson's Disease
Treatments
Chiari Malformation
Trauma & Injury
Treatments
Spine Neurosurgery
Neurophysiology
Meet the Neurosurgery Experts
Patient Stories
Classes, Events, & News
Neurocirugia

Chat Keywords List

  • cancel or exit: Stops your conversation
  • start over: Restarts your current scenario
  • help: Shows what this bot can do
  • terms: Shows terms of use and privacy statement
  • feedback: Give us feedback
Continue
Chat with UPMC
RESTART
MENU
CLOSE

​Epilepsy

  • Overview
  • Symptoms & Diagnosis
  • Treatment

What is Epilepsy?

Epilepsy is a disorder of the brain that causes repeated, unpredictable seizures, generally beginning in childhood or early adulthood. Epilepsy can lead to serious complications, including injury to the brain.

Epilepsy means the brain has formed abnormal electrical connections that disrupt normal brain function and cause seizures. It can be caused by an injury or illness that affects the brain, such as a stroke or brain tumor, or its cause can be unknown.

In adults, medication can frequently control epilepsy. However, if seizures persist after trying two drugs, our expert neurosurgeons may offer epilepsy surgery.

Diagnosing Epilepsy Symptoms

Epilepsy seizures usually begin between the ages of five and 20 but may occur at any age. The type and severity of epilepsy symptoms and seizures can indicate what part of the brain is affected by epilepsy.

It is important for anyone who has seizures despite taking medication to be seen by a doctor who specializes in epilepsy treatment, also known as an epileptologist. These doctors are trained in the use of imaging and other studies to diagnose the causes of epilepsy.

Testing for epilepsy

An EEG (electroencephalogram) of the brain shows electrical activity, which can pinpoint the areas of the brain that are not behaving normally in patients with epilepsy. Since electrical activity in the brain may appear normal between epileptic seizures, your doctor may request a video EEG study, which is done during an inpatient visit in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at UPMC Presbyterian.

Diagnostic surgery

If you are a candidate for epilepsy surgery, UPMC neurosurgeons will also perform a full complement of diagnostic tests to determine if surgery is appropriate.

Epilepsy Treatments

Neurosurgeons at UPMC are able to help adult patients with epilepsy lead a normal life and control their seizures through the use of the following epilepsy treatment:

  • Medications
  • Surgery
  • Implantation of stimulation devices

A full complement of advanced diagnostic tests are performed to help patients receive an accurate diagnosis and to determine whether surgical intervention is appropriate.

Medication

Usually, epilepsy medications can bring seizures under control. However, in at least one third of people with epilepsy, seizures persist despite trials of numerous drugs.

Epilepsy surgery may be an effective option if:

  • Two different medications cannot help control a patient's seizures
  • Medication side effects are not tolerable

Surgical treatment options

UPMC neurosurgeons offer a number of surgical options for adult patients with epilepsy:

  • Diagnostic surgery called intracranial monitoring or stereo-EEG for localization of the seizure onset zone using
    • ROSA® Robotic System – new robotic technology that allows for neurosurgeons to more accurately perform minimally invasive procedures for epilepsy and movement disorders
  • Craniotomy for resection of seizure focus – surgical removal of the abnormal brain tissue causing seizures
  • Laser ablation – minimally invasive surgery using focused heat to destroy the abnormal brain tissue causing seizures
  • Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) – a stimulator in the neck that can reduce seizure frequency
  • Deep brain stimulation (DBS) – a brain stimulator that can reduce seizure frequency
  • Responsive neurostimulation (RNS®) – a brain stimulator that can detect seizure activity and stimulate the brain in response, resulting in seizure reduction
  • Other less commonly used surgeries including multiple subpial transections (MST), corpus callosotomy, and others are available to patients who may benefit from them

» Learn more about adult epilepsy surgery.

Read More In Neurosurgery News

Read more about how surgery remains underutilized in patients suffering from epilepsy (PDF).

Learn more about surgical alternatives for epilepsy (PDF)
.

In the News

  • New Technique Helps Treat Intractable Epilepsy
    Read the article and watch the video on Inside UPMC.
  • McCandless Woman 1st in Region with Implant Aimed at Halting Seizures
    Read the article and watch the video on TribLive.

Follow the beat for a healthier life. Read our blog posts:

  • Epilepsy Causes and Seizure Triggers
  • Infographic: Seizure First Aid

Meet Tim

Tim Liebrock - Epilepsy Neurosurgery patient story 

When this college student was diagnosed with epilepsy, surgery to remove a portion of his brain responsible for the seizures helped get back his life.

Read more »

Contact the UPMC Department of Neurosurgery

Phone Numbers:

412-647-3685
(within the U.S.)

01-877-320-8762
(International)

For questions, to schedule an appointment or request an expert opinion, contact us here.

Quick Links

  • Patient Stories
  • For Pediatric Patients
  • Legacy of Innovation
UPMC
200 Lothrop Street Pittsburgh, PA 15213

412-647-8762 800-533-8762

Patients And Visitors
  • Find a Doctor
  • Locations
  • Pay a Bill
  • Patient & Visitor Resources
  • Disabilities Resource Center
  • Services
  • Medical Records
  • No Surprises Act
  • Price Transparency
  • Financial Assistance
  • Classes & Events
  • Health Library
Health Care Professionals
  • Physician Information
  • Resources
  • Education & Training
  • Departments
  • Credentialing
Newsroom
  • Newsroom Home
  • Inside Life Changing Medicine Blog
  • News Releases
About
  • Why UPMC
  • Facts & Stats
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Community Commitment
  • Financials
  • Supporting UPMC
  • HealthBeat Blog
  • UPMC Apps
  • UPMC Enterprises
  • UPMC Health Plan
  • UPMC International
  • Nondiscrimination Policy
Life changing is...
Follow UPMC
  • Contact Us
  • Website/Email Terms of Use
  • Medical Advice Disclaimer
  • Privacy Information
  • Active Privacy Alerts
  • Sitemap
© 2025 UPMC I Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences Supplemental content provided by Healthwise, Incorporated. To learn more, visit healthwise.org
Find Care
Providers
Video Visit
Portal Login