Around one-third of patients with epilepsy are resistant to drugs. Persistent uncontrolled seizures are associated with increased morbidity, psychosocial dysfunction and increased mortality due to accidents and sudden unexpected death.
Surgery can provide a solution in these cases.
The goal of epilepsy surgery is to eliminate seizures or limit their severity with or without the use of medicines, says Dr. K. Atchiyya Naidu, consultant neuro surgeon, KIMS ICON Hospital
“Epilepsy surgery is a procedure that removes or alters an area of the brain, where seizures originate, to control seizures. About 60% of well- evaluated and well-planned surgeries can ensure seizure-free life. Epilepsy surgery is most effective when seizures always originate at a single location in the brain,” he says. Epilepsy surgery is not the first line of treatment but is considered when at least two anti-seizure drugs fail to control seizures, a condition known as drug-resistant epilepsy.
Poorly controlled epilepsy can result in a number of complications like physical injuries during a seizure, depression and anxiety and development delays in children, Dr. Naidu said .
The types of epileptic surgeries include: Resective surgery, Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT), Corpus callosotomy, hemispherectomy and functional hemispherectomy
