Need Rasmussen's encephalitis care for an adult?When your child starts having seizures, your thoughts may jump immediately to epilepsy. But did you know there are different kinds?
Epileptic seizures can start for many reasons — including inflammation on just one side of the brain. This is known as Rasmussen’s encephalitis (another name for brain inflammation). This rare condition most often affects kids between the ages of 2 and 10. Left untreated, it can cause frequent seizures and permanent brain damage.
Learning your child has a serious brain condition like Rasmussen’s encephalitis can bring everything in your life to a complete stop. Your head fills with questions — and worry. That’s only natural. Cleveland Clinic Children’s expert healthcare providers help you get the answers you need. Along with the compassionate, expert care your child deserves.
Cleveland Clinic Children’s epilepsy team treats several thousand kidseach year. Our experts provide the highest level of care, including personalized evaluations, medical treatments and surgery for even the rarest conditions. And we were one of the first in the country to do intracranial brain mapping in children with epilepsy.
There’s more to caring for kids with epilepsy like Rasmussen’s encephalitis than treatment plans and testing. Our team believes compassionate care always goes hand in hand with the latest therapies and equipment. We’re here to listen, understand and guide you and your child through every treatment milestone.
A brain surgery called a hemispherectomy is the most effective treatment for treating seizures in severe cases of Rasmussen’s encephalitis in children. And Cleveland Clinic has done over 500 hemispherectomies for epilepsies due to various conditions. That kind of experience in this uncommon procedure is critical for a successful outcome. Meet our team.
You can rest easy knowing your child is in good hands at Cleveland Clinic Children’s. Our expert epilepsy care team has providers from different specialties like immunology, rheumatology, neurosurgery, physiology, psychology, radiology and more. All work together to make sure your child gets treatment tailored to their specific needs.
When your little one isn’t feeling well, it can be tough to go to an in-person appointment with their provider. That’s why we also offer virtual visits for some appointments. You can get the same great care for them online — without leaving home.
Cleveland Clinic Children’s is a trusted healthcare leader. We’re recognized throughout the U.S. for our expertise and care.
Rasmussen’s encephalitis starts from ongoing inflammation in one half (hemisphere) of the brain. As the inflammation gets worse, it can cause frequent seizures (epilepsy) — sometimes as often as every few minutes.
Rasmussen’s encephalitis can also cause permanent brain damage — like cognitive decline, vision loss and movement problems like paralysis on one side of the body. If it affects the left side of your child’s brain, it can impact their speech and language abilities (aphasia), particularly when the disease affects the left side of the brain after the age of 5-6 years.
This condition tends to hit hard for eight to 12 months after the first symptoms appear. Then, inflammation often slows— but any damage is permanent. Recurrent seizures persist and are the main symptom that influences the quality of life in most children. That’s why it’s important to work with pediatric healthcare providers who are experienced in treating this very rare epileptic condition in children. They can find out what’s going on and offer the best possible treatment.
Your child’s provider knows you and your child may feel a bit nervous when you come to your first appointment. That’s why they’ll start the visit by talking about what’s been going on. They may ask you questions like:
During the appointment, your child will have a physical exam. And their provider will order some tests to help our team see what’s happening inside their brain. They may have:
Our compassionate child life specialists make sure your child feels comfortable during testing. They’ll help them understand what’s going on by reaching them at their level through play, conversations and listening to their concerns.
The experts at Cleveland Clinic Children’s give your child highly personalized treatment. We build their care team with providers from the specialties they need, like:
These and other experienced pediatric providers work together to pinpoint a diagnosis and craft a treatment plan that keeps your child at the center of their care. It may be helpful to meet/speak with other families who have children affected by Rasmussen's encephalitis.
Our healthcare providers see patients at convenient locations throughout Northeast Ohio.
We’ll work with you and your child to find the best ways to manage this lifelong condition. Our goal is to help stabilize your child’s seizures and prevent further brain damage with treatments like:
Because Rasmussen’s encephalitis is a lifelong condition, your child will need care into adulthood. Our team is here to help them smoothly transition from their pediatric providers to adult experts at Cleveland Clinic when it’s time.
When your child has a rare brain condition, the first thing you’ll want to do is get them the best care. Cleveland Clinic Children’s is home to expert pediatric providers who know what it takes to diagnose and treat Rasmussen’s encephalitis in children. And this care reaches beyond testing, medications and other therapies. We understand having a child with a lifelong medical condition can be stressful. Our pediatric team listens to your concerns and guides you and your child through every test, treatment and appointment.
Getting an appointment with one of our pediatric Rasmussen's encephalitis experts is easy. We’ll help your child get the care they need.
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