SUU, Alm.del - 2011-12 - Bilag 13: Henvendelse af 10/10-11 fra David H. Eisenberg Professor of Pharmacy vedr. Dianalund Epilepsy Hospital

INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE AGAINST EPILEPSY (ILAE)Commission on European Affairs (CEA)October 10, 2011Chair :Professor Meir BialerJerusalem, Israel[email protected]Secretary:Professor Alla GuekhtMoscow, RussiaProfessor AlexisArzimanoglouLyon, FranceProfessor Michel BaulacParis, FranceProfessor Thnos CovanisAthens, GreeceProfessor Helen CrossLondon, UKProfessor ReettaKalviainenKuopio, FinlandProfessor Salomon MosheNew York, USAProfessor Emilio PeruccaPavia, ItalyProfessor Asla PitkanenKuopio, FinlandProfessor TorbjornTomsonStockholm, SwedenProfessor Eugen TrinkaInnsbruck, Austria

Your Lady/Sir ,It is with great concern that the Commission on European Affairs (CEA) ofInternational League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) has received the news about theimpending closure of Dianalund Epilepsy Hospital, the only Epilepsy Centre inDenmark. We are concerned because epilepsy is such a varied condition that anywell-functioning system of epilepsy care needs to be hierarchical and include ahighest-level reference centre to take care of the most difficult cases and providefacilities also for selected groups of patients. These include in the diagnostic fieldprolonged combined video and EEG registrations, specialized neuropsychologicalinvestigations and evaluation programmes for the selection for epilepsy surgery,including special imaging approaches such as ictal SPECT. In the therapeuticfield, the highest level centres provide care for multiple handicapped persons andfor patients with non-epileptic psychogenic and other seizures; they also offervagus nerve and other brain stimulation therapies as well as ketogenic diet forchildren with intractable seizures. For several of these, the Dianalund Hospital isthe only place in Denmark where they are available.It is generally assumed that in an adequate health system one highest levelepilepsy centre needs to be available for a population of 4 to 5 million inhabitants,about the population of Denmark. We understand that the present situation is dueto changes in your health care system where five regions take responsibility fortheir population. It is, however, unrealistic to assume that expertise and facilitiesfor highest level epilepsy care can be built up in parallel for 5 subpopulations ofabout 1 million each; in addition, such a system would not be cost-effective.

Chair :Professor Meir BialerJerusalem, Israel[email protected]Secretary:Professor Alla GuekhtMoscow, RussiaProfessor AlexisArzimanoglouLyon, FranceProfessor Michel BaulacParis, FranceProfessor Thnos CovanisAthens, GreeceProfessor Helen CrossLondon, UKProfessor ReettaKalviainenKuopio, FinlandProfessor Salomon MosheNew York, USAProfessor Emilio PeruccaPavia, ItalyProfessor Asla PitkanenKuopio, FinlandProfessor TorbjornTomsonStockholm, Sweden

In addition to its role in the national health care for your country, the Danish EpilepsyCentre has also developed into an active and increasingly prolific research institution ofexcellent international renown whose contributions to the scientific progress inepileptology would be greatly missed if the Centre disappeared.For all these reasons, we urgently ask you to ensure the continuous existence and activityof the Danish Epilepsy Centre.