2024 SEEG - The Course
A Fresh Look at the Fundamentals of SEEG
Stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) is a method for determining whether a pharmaco-resistant epilepsy can be relieved by surgery. From a pre-surgical procedure that requires the understanding of seizure semiology through its correlation with brain electrical activity, SEEG has evolved over time into a comprehensive approach of the patient with epilepsy. This approach encompasses the successive steps of patient management from outpatient clinic to the surgical operation when it is indicated. Its implementation in the clinical setting requires a gathering of multidisciplinary skills. An ideal SEEG team is formed when a common culture is shared beyond the individual competencies. This course is designed to teach the scientific and medical basis of SEEG through its essential disciplines and their relationship, looking at this 50+ years old practice in the context of modern epileptology.
The course is designed to teach the scientific and medical basis of SEEG through its essential disciplines and their relationship, looking at this 50+ years old practice in the context of modern epileptology.
Main objectives:
Describe the evolution in time of the presurgical methods leading to the current practice of SEEG
Figure out the anatomical basis of electrode implantation, its referential system, and how it prepares rational planning to tailored resection or ablation
Examine the nature of the SEEG signal, how the depth electrodes capture it, and how the dynamics of multiple cortical sites recording can be understood
Explore the concept of neural network, its applicability to the epileptogenic process, and the way it determines the emergence of clinical semiology
Elucidate the logical chain linking SEEG to anatomically preplanned surgery
Discuss in depth illustrative cases
Course Objectives
Who is this course for
This course is suitable for neurologists and neurosurgeons beginning in SEEG practice and will also offer new insights to those with an established practice.
Course Logistics:
Dates : April 14-17, 2024
Location : Charleston, South Carolina
Accommodations : Hotel Emeline
2024 SEEG - THE COURSE FACULTY
Thandar Aung MD, MS
Neurologist
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Thandar Aung MD, MS
Neurologist
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Dr. Aung is a board-certified neurologist with a subspecialty certification in epilepsy and clinical neurophysiology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. She graduated from the Institute of Medicine, Burma in 2008 and completed adult neurology residency training at Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Arizona. She did her postgraduate training in Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology with an emphasis in surgical epilepsy and magnetoencephalography training at Cleveland Clinic.
Patrick Chauvel, MD
Professor
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Aix-Marseille University
Patrick Chauvel, MD
Professor
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Aix-Marseille University
After completing his medical and scientific training in Neurology and Neuroscience, Dr. Patrick Chauvel became a researcher at INSERM (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale) in Paris (1975). There, he began his pioneering work in experimental and clinical research on the mechanisms of epilepsy.
Under the mentorship of Talairach and Bancaud at Hôpital Sainte-Anne/Université René Descartes in Paris, he advanced stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG) as a presurgical method
using intracerebral electrodes for epilepsy surgery (1975–1990). His research has focused on the pathophysiology of the epileptogenic zone, the emergence of seizure semiology, and human cerebral cortex physiology. Notably, he championed the concept of an epileptogenic network, moving beyond the classical "epileptic focus" model, and pioneered new insights into markers of the epileptogenic zone and focal epilepsy semiology.
Succeeding Jean Bancaud, Dr. Chauvel served as Director of the SEEG Unit at Hôpital Sainte-Anne (1986–1990), then as Professor and Chairman of Neurology in Rennes (1990–1997), where he established an innovative Epilepsy Unit integrating clinical care and research. Later, he became Professor and Chairman of Clinical Neurophysiology and Director of the INSERM Institute of Systems Neuroscience in Marseille (1997–2014).
In 2014, he joined the Cleveland Clinic’s Epilepsy Center to advance SEEG-based presurgical evaluation in North America, while also serving as Professor of Neurology at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine (Case Western Reserve University). Additionally, as an Honorary Professor at the University of Queensland (Brisbane), he guided the development of SEEG-based epilepsy surgery and research programs.
He later held appointments as Professor of Neurology at the University of Pittsburgh and Neurologist at UPMC.
Currently, Dr. Chauvel is a researcher at the Cleveland Clinic Epilepsy Center, where he is developing novel SEEG-based methods for presurgical evaluation of drug-resistant epilepsy and researching biomarkers of the epileptogenic zone and the neural mechanisms underlying seizure semiology.
He is a Member of the Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium in recognition of his contributions to the field.
Jorge Gonzalez-Martinez, MD, PhD
Professor
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Jorge Gonzalez-Martinez, MD, PhD
Professor
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Dr. Gonzalez-Martinez is a board-certified neurosurgeon subspecialized in epilepsy and functional neurosurgery. He is the director of the epilepsy and movement disorders surgery, Co-Director of the Epilepsy Center and Director of the Cortical Systems Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Dr. Gonzalez is a world-renowned surgeon who have published more than 200 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters related to epilepsy surgery and methods of brain mapping for patients with medically intractable epilepsy and movement disorders. He has been serving the American Society of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery in the capacity of member of the executive committee for the last 6 years, developing high relevant projects and topics related to the field of functional neurosurgery and epilepsy.
Dr. Gonzalez is a medical pioneer in novel surgical methods for treating medically refractory seizures such as stereo-electroencephalography, SEEG guided laser ablative procedures, neuromodulatory interventions and robotic guided surgeries, bringing for the first time innovative surgical interventions to the United States and other countries. His particular field of interest and academic drive is related to neuro-electrophysiology, intracranial signal processing and behavioral neuroscience studies.
Combined, the clinical and basic science efforts have been guiding his academic and clinical pathway for safer and more efficient methods for treating patients with severe seizures and abnormal movement disorders, promoting the improvement of symptoms, in combination with better functional and quality of life outcomes.
Ammar Kheder, MD
Assistant Professor
Emory University
Ammar Kheder, MD
Chief of Pediatric Neurosciences
Helen DeVos Children's Hospital
Dr. Kheder is an epileptologist with extensive experience in epilepsy surgery and SEEG. His work focuses on advancing diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for epilepsy. His research interests include seizure semiology, functional neuroanatomy, cognitive neuroscience, and brain mapping and connectivity. Driven by a passion for understanding the complexities of the brain, Dr. Kheder is committed to integrating cutting-edge research into clinical practice to improve patient outcomes.
Aileen McGonigal, MD, PhD, MRCP
Neurologist
Director of Epilepsy Unit, Mater Hospital and University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Aileen McGonigal, MD, PhD, MRCP
Neurologist
Director of Epilepsy Unit, Mater Hospital and University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Dr. McGonigal is a neurologist with extensive specialist experience in epileptology and EEG, including stereo-EEG. Following UK neurology training, Prof McGonigal spent around 20 years in France where she studied and practised stereo-EEG methodology, contributing to its evolution through clinical research. Her research interests include seizure semiology and its neural correlates, and she has written and lectured widely on these. She took up her current post in Australia in 2022, and continues to develop use of stereo-EEG with an associated clinical research programme.
Guy McKhann, MD
Professor
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Guy McKhann, MD
Professor
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Dr. McKhann is the Director of Epilepsy Surgery, Brain Mapping for Tumors and Epilepsy, and Adult Hydrocephalus at Columbia University Irving Medical Center/New York Presbyterian Hospital. He has over 20 years of experience at CUIMC/NYP, combining clinical skill and compassionate care to maximize patient outcomes. He is a member of both the Columbia P&S Virginia Apgar Academy of Medical Educators and the P&S Academy of Clinical Excellence. His areas of particular technical expertise include awake brain mapping; epilepsy surgery; low grade glioma surgery; minimally invasive, computer guided microneurosurgery; and stereotactic laser ablation for tumors and epilepsy.
Dr. McKhann also works as a translational neuroscientist, directing the Epilepsy Neurophysiology Laboratory; helping lead the multi-departmental study of Cognitive Neurophysiology together with Catherine Schevon MD, Ph.D. and Charles Schroeder, PhD; and collaborating extensively with the Gabriele Bartoli Brain Tumor Research Laboratory. His basic and clinical research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Klingenstein Foundation, the Charles A. Dana Foundation, the New York Academy of Medicine, Parents Against Childhood Epilepsy, the Irving Center for Clinical Research, CURE, and the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance.
Dr. McKhann graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude from Duke University, with Research Honors for his investigations into brain tumor immunobiology. He attended Yale School of Medicine where he was AOA, Cum Laude, a Farr Scholar, and one of five recipients of the medical school’s highest thesis award. Dr. McKhann trained in Neurological Surgery at the University of Washington, as well as Atkinson Morley’s Hospital in Wimbledon, England.
Nigel P. Pedersen, MD
Assistant Professor
Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology
Nigel P. Pedersen, MD
Assistant Professor
Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology
Dr. Pedersen graduated with honors from Sydney Medical School in his home country of Australia. He then moved to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston for post-doctoral research training, followed by clinical training in Neurology, Clinical Neurophysiology and Epilepsy, at Harvard Medical School at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Children’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. He was briefly on staff at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, before being recruited to develop research in Emory’s Comprehensive Epilepsy Program. Dr. Pedersen is passionate about discovery and innovation in epilepsy and aims to improve the lives of people with epilepsy. He runs a translational basic science and patient-centered research laboratory at Emory University devoted to understanding the systems neuroscience of epilepsy, including how this relates to sleep-wake brain circuits, cortical connectivity and cortical function. His research has been supported by the NIH, CURE Epilepsy, the American Academy of Neurology/American Brain Foundation, and the Woodruff Foundation. Dr. Pedersen’s clinical work is focuses on epilepsy surgery and SEEG.
Dr. Pedersen is the Director of the Epilepsy and Systems Neurobiology Laboratory and part of the Executive Committee for the Emory Graduate Program in Neuroscience.
Hussam Shaker, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor
Mercy health Saint Mary’s, Michigan State University
Hussam Shaker, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor
Mercy health Saint Mary’s, Michigan State University
Dr. Shaker graduated from Tishreen Medical School in Syria and had a research fellowship in Alzheimer’s disease at New York University. He completed his neurology residency at Spectrum Health Hospital and served as a chief resident. After that, he completed a second fellowship in clinical neurophysiology at Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Currently, Dr. Shaker is a clinical assistant professor and Stereotactic electroenecephalogram director at Mercy health Saint Mary’s, Michigan State University.
Giorgio LoRusso, MD
Neurosurgeon
Claudi Munari Epilepsy Center at Niguarda Hospital in Milano
Giorgio LoRusso, MD
Neurosurgeon
Claudi Munari Epilepsy Center at Niguarda Hospital in Milano
Dr. LoRusso School-leaving examination in a classical liceo (1971) Medical Doctor degree at the University of Turin in 1977. Specialty in Neurology and Neurosurgery (1987, 1982) at the Turin University. – University researcher, Institute of Neurosurgery Turin till 1993.
He was trained in Paris (Service de Neurochirurgie – Hôpital S.te Anne –1989 -1990; Pr. Talairach – Pr. Bancaud) and Grenoble (Service de Neurochirurgie – Centre Universitaire Grenoble 1991-1994; Pr Benabid) under the guide of his Mentor Pr. Claudio Munari. He contributed to start the program of Epilepsy Surgery in Grenoble and to the founding of the Centre of Milano when Pr. Munari went back in Italy. He is now head of the Centre “C. Munari” for Epilepsy and Pakinson Surgery of Niguarda Hospital where he works since 1993.
Roberto Mai, MD
Neurologist
Claudi Munari Epilepsy Center at Niguarda Hospital in Milano
Roberto Mai, MD
Neurologist
Claudi Munari Epilepsy Center at Niguarda Hospital in Milano
Dr. Mai is a medical doctor working at the “Claudio Munari” Epilepsy Center at Niguarda Hospital in Milano, Italy, since 20 years. He received his degree in medicine from the University of Milano and his degree in Neurology from the University of Pavia. His interest has been always focused on the Central Nervous System as neurophysiologist and epileptologist, covering every aspects of these two fields.
Louis Maillard, MD, PhD
Epileptologist
Regional University Hospital of Nancy
Louis Maillard, MD, PhD
Epileptologist
Regional University Hospital of Nancy
Dr. Maillard has been heading since 2005 the Patrick Chauvel epileptology unit at the Regional University Hospital of Nancy, which is a tertiary French and European Reference Center for rare and complex epilepsies. He is Professor of Neurology at Lorraine University and member of the research project Neuroscience of Systems and Cognition, Lorraine University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 7039. He is also heading the Scientific Board of the Franch Clinical Neurophysiology Society and member of the ILAE Taks Force on Diagnostic Methods/EEG.
Dr. Maillard did a clinical fellowship in the Marseille epileptology Unit from 2003 to 2005 and a PhD in neuroscience at the university of Marseille under the supervision of Pr Patrick Chauvel and Catherine Chauvel.
His research interests have focused on drug-resistant epilepsies with several purposes: (1) improving the delineation of epileptogenic zone based on both Stereo-Electroencephalography and on Electrical Source Imaging; (2) Improving the post-surgical cognitive outcome, especially in language and visual recognition, using electrical cortical stimulation, intra-cerebral evoked potentials, cortico-cortical evoked potentials. Overall, he has published numerous articles on international peer-reviewed journals on these topics and has been a tutor and faculty in numerous international workshops and congresses on Stereo-Electroencephalography and drug resistant epilepsies.
2024 SEEG - THE COURSE SPONSORS
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