Epilepsy Treatment & Surgery

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Introduction

Epilepsy surgical procedure helps in removing the part of the brain which had seizures. The surgical approach is always beneficial when the seizures have occurred in just one place. Although it is not categorized as the first line of treatment. The patient’s eligibility for the surgery is determined by performing different tests.

What is the need for the surgery?

Epilepsy surgery is the choice when medications cannot control the extent of seizures. In medical terms, it is known as medically refractory epilepsy or drug-resistant epilepsy. Through the surgical approach, its extent is limited and seizures are stopped, without the need of giving medications.

What is epilepsy that is not controlled?

In the case of poorly controlled epilepsy, there can be different complications and risk factors like:

- Depression & Anxiety
- Sudden death (a rare complication of epilepsy)
- Drowning (during swimming or bath seizures occurred)
- Physical injuries during seizures

Developmental delay in children

Problem with thinking skills and memory getting worse

What are the types of epilepsy surgery?

Brain cells that lead to the abnormal activity will lead to epileptic seizures. The surgical approach will depend on the neuron location which begins the seizures and patient age. Type of the surgical methods are:

Resective Surgery

During resective surgery, a small part of the brain is removed. The surgeon will take out the area where seizures have taken place which is:

- Tumor sir
- Malformation

Brain Injury

This surgical approach is carried out in the areas which keep a check on your emotions, language comprehension, and controls visual memory.

Deep Brain Stimulation

The device is used in the implanted interior of the brain which allows the electrical signals. With this approach, MRI is used. The device which sends an electrical pulse is lodged on the chest.

Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy

LITT is categorized as less invasive surgery which makes use of the laser and destroys the brain tissue. Through the use of MRI, the surgeon will be able to use the laser precisely.

Corpus callosotomy

During this surgical approach, the surgeon partially or totally will take out the nerves connecting with the brain on the left and right side. The children with problems of abnormal brain activity are benefited from this surgery.

Hemispherectomy

In this surgical approach, the folded gray part of the brain is removed. The children who are having seizures due to multiple sites are benefited from this. The problem can be from birth or during the infant stage.

Functional Hemispherectomy

This procedure helps in taking out the connective nerves. The surgery is useful for children as the actual part of the brain is not removed.

Are There Any Risks?

Some of the possible risk factors are:

Language and memory issue which makes it difficult to use & understand language.
Headache
Stroke
Extreme mood change or depression affect your social life

How is Abnormal Brain Activity Evaluated?

EEG (Baseline electroencephalogram)
Video EEG
MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging)

Some of the additional tests are:

Video EEG with invasive electrodes
Invasive EEG monitoring
Positron Emission tomography (PET)
SPECT (Single-photon emission computerized tomography)

How is the brain function evaluated?

Some of the tests which can be performed are:

Wada Test : The medicine is injected into the brain (on one side). You need to do a test based on memory and language.
Functional MRI : During reading or listening the brain activity is checked. The surgeon understands the precise location which manages certain functions.
Brain Mapping : On the brain surface, small electrodes are placed. After the surgery, you need to carry out different tasks which help to understand brain activity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Individuals falling under any of these categories should go for epilepsy surgery. People who experience seizures despite trying a lot of medicines, if the seizure always originates from a specific area, a brain abnormality has been identified, such as a tumour or scar tissue. If you experience intolerable side effects from anti-seizure medicines or children with conditions like hemispherectomy, which can be treated. Since the brain is the crucial part of the body, consult with the best neurologist in Punjab.

The main objective of this surgery is to reduce the occurrence and severity of seizures and make the patient seizure-free. It will become the initial step to improve your mental health and well-being affected by frequent seizures. A successful epilepsy surgery also eliminates anti-seizure medications from your life.

Well, seizures are difficult to control when they happen, as they cause loss of awareness and involuntary effects. Yet, they are not permanently uncontrollable. It can be managed and prevented with the right treatment and guidance by an expert neurologist in Ludhiana.

In the case of poorly controlled or untreated epilepsy, serious mishaps can occur. It can cause depression, anxiety, physical injuries during seizures, drowning, delayed development in children, poor memory and thinking skills and even sudden death, which is a rare complication of epilepsy.

Seizures are a temporary disruption in the brain’s electrical activity. It is a temporary symptom which lasts for a few minutes and can be caused by illness, stress or injury. On the other hand, epilepsy is a chronic disease that includes multiple seizures, which can happen suddenly, unlike a seizure; this is a long-term disorder.

The average cost of epilepsy surgery in India can range from 2 lakhs and goes beyond, depending on multiple factors like the type of surgery, the expertise and experience of the surgeon, the condition of the brain and more. If you want to know the details, including the total cost of the surgery, contact us via call, email, or drop a message through our website to get personalised and professional guidance.

The success rate of epilepsy surgeries depicts its high effectiveness, with 50-80% patients achieving seizure relief after the surgery. However, the success rate of your surgery will highly depend on your existing condition, the hospital and the surgeon you choose and most importantly, your aftercare.

After the surgery, the patient’s care requires a three to seven-day hospital stay due to the vulnerable condition and best monitoring with care of the wound, pain or any discomfort. Do gentle washing of hair only after the dressing is removed, with mild shampoo and avoid scratching. The patient should avoid any heavy, physical activity like lifting, swimming and even avoid driving and using heavy machinery for weeks. For the long term, good health and frequent checkups with your surgeon are the key.

Most of the patients restart their daily activities after five to eight weeks, but resuming school or office work may take a few more months. However, complete healing from neurologic adjustments and emotional recovery may take a year. The time of recovery also largely depends on the surgical process, patient health, and post-care.

It is evaluated by the abnormal functioning of the brain, which is figured out through multiple professional methods like EEG, Video EEG, MRI and some additional tests like SPECT, PET, Invasive EEG monitoring and video EEG and more. If you are experiencing any kind of discomfort, especially seizures, take it seriously and consult the best neurologist in Punjab to prevent serious future mishaps.

Epilepsy Surgery