COPE

Comprehensive Oklahoma Program for Epilepsy

K. J. Oommen, M.D., Director

1. COPE evaluates patients who have "spells" (seizures, pseudoseizures, other). This may be an inpatient or outpatient workup, and may require prolonged recording of the patient with EEG and closed-circuit TV within a controlled environment = Long-Term Monitoring for Epilepsy (LTME).
2. COPE diagnoses and/or re-evaluates patients with "spells" to determine an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan. Usually this is an outpatient workup but may require inpatient LTME.
3. COPE refers patients with pseudoseizures to a clinical psychologist with special expertise in epilepsy and pseudoepilepsy, for treatment.
4. COPE treats patients with epilepsy to reduce their seizures and eliminate drug side-effects.
   • Medical treatment will use standard antiepileptic drugs in an outpatient setting.
   • Experimental Drug Trials will be made available to patients have been shown to be intractable to standard medications.
   • Epilepsy Brain Surgery is a non-experimental treatment for select patients who have either failed standard medical management, or who have identified brain lesions which are causing their epilepsy. A pre-surgical evaluation will be offered to patients who potentially fit this description. This evaluation is designed to identify the epileptic focus and determine the safety and benefit of an operation. The pre-surgical evaluation may include structural and functional imaging tests, LTME, neuropsychological and social testing, as well as a general medical and neurological exam. Appropriate candidates will be offered the best type of epilepsy surgery to control their seizures. Types of epilepsy surgeries include anterior temporal lobectomy, anterior frontal lobectomy, corticectomy, amygdalohippocampectomy. lesionectomy, and corpus callosotomy.
   • Some patients need intracranial EEG to confirm the site of their seizures. See a Human EEG.