Who Gets Epilepsy Surgery
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Video Description:epilepsy seizure seizures surgery grand petit mal partial generalized ictal treatment control diagonsis diagnose epileptic seize epelepsy resective intractable refrectory focal risks health medicine athletics physical science advice community web series f
Transcript:Surgical therapy to treat seizures was developed in the 1800s! Yet, while epilepsy surgery has come a long way since then, it is still not for everyone. Several types of surgeries can help to eliminate or reduce seizures in people with epilepsy. Brain surgery is an important decision, and is usually undertaken when multiple medication trials have failed to control seizures. The vast majority of people who are treated with epilepsy surgery have partial seizures. Surgery can be performed on children as well as infants under one year of age. Several factors are important in considering someone for possible epilepsy surgery. They include whether the patient has: seizures that are not controlled by systematic medication trials; localized seizure onset in the brain; a level of health that makes brain surgery relatively safe; and an understanding and acceptance of the risks. Generally, epilepsy surgery is considered for people who have seizures that cannot be controlled by anti-epilepsy drugs, because of ongoing seizures, unacceptable side effects, or both. This unfortunate situation - poorly controlled seizures - occurs in 1 out of every 3 people with epilepsy. For epilepsy surgery to be considered, seizures also need to be severe, or frequent enough, to impair quality of life, a standard that varies tremendously for different people. For some people, seizures that prevent them from being able to drive, or high doses of medications that cause continual side-effects, is reason enough to pursue possible surgery. Other people have daily seizures and side effects but still do not want to consider brain surgery. Most doctors will not perform surgery until a patient has had uncontrollable seizures for at least two years. Although when seizures are frequent or severe, it may be considered sooner. Typically, surgery is considered only if the patient’s seizures are unable to be controlled by at least two single drugs and one two-drug combination. It is critical that these medication trials are done systematically. Just one week on a drug is long enough to determine a bad side effect, like a rash, but is not an adequate trial of how well the medication works. A doctor gradually increases medication dosages to the maximum tolerable level, to see if greater doses will effectively control seizures. Once a patient is considered for surgery, tests are performed to identify what area of the brain is giving rise to seizures. This is because some areas of the brain can be removed without changing intellect or personality. But removal of other brain areas can cause problems with language, memory, sensation, strength and other functions. In some cases, the risks of surgery outweigh the benefits, while in others, the chances for seizure control are good, with limited risk to vital brain functions. The decision to have surgery involves careful, individualized consideration by both patient and doctor. Remember, epilepsy surgery is elective, and should ultimately, be the patient’s decision. If you think you may be a candidate for surgical therapy for epilepsy, talk to your physician about a referral to an epilepsy center.
Category:Neurological Health/Epilepsy
Tags:epilepsy seizure seizures surgery grand petit mal partial generalized ictal treatment control diagonsis diagnose epileptic seize epelepsy resective intractable refrectory focal risks health medicine athletics physical science advice community web series fitness home video blog guru
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