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March 24 Webinar: Optimizing the Management of Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathies in Young Children

Thursday, March 24 (6:30 pm -8:00 pm EDT)
Link: https://vimeo.com/event/1410950/ea786eb9f1


Session Organizer:

John R. Mytinger, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatric Neurology
Director, Infantile Spasms Program
Nationwide Children’s Hospital
The Ohio State University
Columbus, OH


Course Description:

Early life developmental and epileptic encephalopathies are associated with early death as well as poor developmental and epilepsy outcomes in survivors. Yet, rapid and effective treatment can improve outcomes in some children such as those with West syndrome. West syndrome is the most common early life epileptic encephalopathy and is often responsive to standard treatments including hormone therapy. Although hormone therapy is often used as the initial treatment for infantile spasms, we lack consensus regarding the optimal treatment regimen (eg combined vs. sequential therapy.) Furthermore, recent work has revealed that the traditional method of determining electrographic remission in West syndrome (hypsarrhythmia resolution) has poor inter-rater reliability necessitating additional research to address this knowledge gap. The neonatal epileptic encephalopathies are less responsive, often with poor outcomes. There is, however, an evolving approach to neonatal epileptic encephalopathies including a growing interest in the possibility of precision medicine using targeted treatment strategies. Neuroimaging may reveal a focal lesion, at which point early surgical intervention is recommended. Tuberous sclerosis complex and large hemispheric dysplastic lesions (eg. hemimegalencephaly) are particularly amenable to this. For others that do not respond to treatment, resective or palliative epilepsy surgery should be considered. Although appropriate timing of surgical intervention is unclear, there is growing evidence that optimizing seizure control via surgical or other means may alter neurocognitive outcome.


Topics & Speakers:

Evolution in the medical management of neonatal epileptic encephalopathies
Jorge Vidaurre, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatric Neurology
Nationwide Children’s Hospital
The Ohio State University
Columbus, OH

Targeted management for genetic epileptic encephalopathies: Is precision medicine ready for prime time?
Kristina Julich, MD
Assistant Professor Department of Neurology -Pediatric Neurosciences
Dell Medical School | University of Texas Health Austin
Dell Children’s Medical Center
Austin, TX

Contemporary controversies in the management of West syndrome
John R. Mytinger, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatric Neurology
Director, Infantile Spasms Program
Nationwide Children’s Hospital
The Ohio State University
Columbus, OH

Surgical options for epileptic encephalopathies in young children: Too little, too late?!?
Dave F. Clarke, MBBS
Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics
Chief, Pediatric Epilepsy
Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas
Austin, TX


Speaker & Organizer Brief Biographies

John R. Mytinger, MD is an Assistant Professor at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and The Ohio State University. He is board certified in Pediatric Neurology, Clinical Neurophysiology, and Epilepsy. He specializes in the management of difficult to control pediatric epilepsy with a clinical and research interest in the developmental and epileptic encephalopathies. He is the Director of the Infantile Spasms Program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. His research interests are in the area of pediatric epilepsy and EEG, with an emphasis on epileptic encephalopathies. 2021 presentations include co-chair and speaker of a session at the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society annual meeting regarding the impact of COVID-19 on EEG utilization for children with infantile spasms.

Jorge Vidaurre MD. He is an Associate Professor at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and The Ohio State University. He is board certified in Pediatric Neurology, Clinical Neurophysiology, and Epilepsy, a pediatric neurologist/epileptologist, Director of the Pediatric Clinical Neurophysiology Program/EEG laboratory at Nationwide Children’s Hospital-The Ohio State University, serves as current chair of the International Affairs Committee of the Child Neurology Society (CNS), educational advisor for the International Child Neurology Association (ICNA), member of the Global Task Force for the International League against Epilepsy (ILAE, and member of the “Scientific Program Committee “at the American Epilepsy Society (AES). His research interests are in the area of epilepsy and EEG, including epileptic encephalopathies. 2021 presentations include co-chair and speaker of a session at the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society annual meeting regarding the impact of COVID-19 on EEG utilization for children with infantile spasms and a speaker at the same meeting on the topic of autoimmune encephalitis.

Dr. Dave F Clarke MBBS. He is a Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics at The University of Texas at Austin, Dell Medical School, Chief of Pediatric Epilepsy, Dell Children’s Comprehensive Epilepsy Program at Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas in Austin, Texas, a boarded Diplomat of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology with special qualifications in Child Neurology, Sleep Medicine and Epilepsy, a Diplomat of the American Board of Clinical Neurophysiology with added competence in epilepsy monitoring, Fellow of the American Epilepsy Society, an elected member of the International League Against Epilepsy – NA Commission, selected as a National Association of Epilepsy Centers board member, a member of the Epilepsy Leadership Council, the recent President of the Epilepsy Society of the Caribbean (ESC), and has continued to advocate for unity, inclusiveness and collaboration between Caribbean Island Countries, a member of the nominating committee member of the American Epilepsy Society. He has a special interest and has done clinical research in medical and surgical management of drug resistant epilepsy. His recent collaborative projects have focused on reducing deficits and disparities in epilepsy care. Recent presentations/moderator include a talk at the North American Congress meeting September 2020, co-moderator Global Sig at AES in December 2020, talk at NIH/NINDs Curing the Epilepsies 2021 conference January 2021 on “Health Services Research and Access to Care”.

Kristina Julich, MD is an Assistant Professor at The University of Texas at Austin, Dell Medical School, board-certified in Child Neurology in the US, board-certified in Pediatrics and Clinical Neurophysiology in Germany. She trained in Child Neurology and Neurogenetics at Boston Children’s Hospital and currently directs the comprehensive Neurogenetics program at UT Austin, where she specializes in evaluation, counseling and treatment of children with genetic epilepsies and developmental epileptic encephalopathies, brain malformations and neurocutaneous disorders. She is also a core provider in the TSC clinic and the comprehensive ketogenic diet program. She is focused on quality improvement, disparities in care and access to genetic workup and counseling for individuals with drug-resistant epilepsies and epileptic encephalopathies, and is seeking to include mathematical models into medical decision-making processes.


NOTE: CNS live-streamed webinars will be posted on the CNS website (“Craft” section), the week following original presentation.