The Department of Pediatric Neurology, along with the affiliated Epilepsy Center, deals with the treatment of and research into neurological diseases in childhood.

Our main emphasis is on

• epilepsy,
• neurodegenerative and neurometabolic disorders,
• infectious or auto-immune diseases of the peripheral nervous system,
• neuromuscular diseases,
• vascular disorders of the central nervous system,
• motor disorders,
• interdisciplinary care of children with developmental disorders, e.g., brain damage in early childhood, congenital metabolic diseases, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, hydrocephalus, mental impairment, language development disorders, or autism,  
• and functional pain syndromes or psychosomatic diseases with neurological symptoms.
  
  

To help children with these varied problems, we work in a team of pediatric neurologists, specially trained pediatric nurses, and expert psychologists, ergotherapists, physical therapists, speech therapists, social educators, and dieticians. We treat patients with neurosurgical problems jointly with physicians from the respective surgical departments. We have inpatient and outpatient facilities for diagnostics, treatment, and long-term follow-up.

Furthermore, we examine and treat infants, children, and adolescents with acute and chronic diseases, make treatment plans, and advise parents.

For your medical diagnosis, we have the entire range of modern examination methods of a university children’s hospital available, including

• EEG (standard, sleep, long-term, video),
• neurophysiology (evoked potentials, neurography, electromyography),
• long-term video EEG monitoring for the diagnosis of therapy-resistant epilepsy, 
• magnetoencephalography,
• imaging (ultrasound, CT, MRI, SPECT, PET),
• and special laboratory examinations, especially for congenital metabolic disorders.
  
  

Symptoms and findings are discussed by specialists in joint interdisciplinary conferences.

Epilepsy Center

The epilepsy center includes a special outpatient clinic for treatment-resistant epilepsy with an inpatient section. It is integrated into the pediatric neurology ward and is staffed by highly specialized physicians and nurses. In the epilepsy center, sophisticated pre-surgical epilepsy diagnostic tests are conducted on children and adolescents with symptomatic epilepsy who do not respond satisfactorily to medication. In these patients, structural damage to the brain can trigger seizures. If we succeed in localizing the origin of the epileptic seizures, surgical removal of the diseased tissue can often eliminate seizures. After comprehensive epilepsy diagnostics, experts must decide on a case-to-case basis whether this surgery is a treatment option.

In addition, we use modern technical equipment to clarify the seizure situation and classify the epilepsy syndrome.

Inpatient treatment

Our patients are accommodated in double and triple rooms with bath and TV. We support your wish to remain with your child around the clock. For children up to the age of 6, one parent will be accommodated and receive meals on the ward or if preferred, can stay in the dormitory. For children aged 7 and older, we will provide a daybed. Healthy siblings can be cared for during the day in the “Kinderplanet” in the main building.

Sincerely,

Professor Dr. Joachim Pietz

Director of the Department of Pediatric Neurology and Epilepsy Center