Epilepsy is basically a recurrent seizure disorder. We are going to talk about the different types of brain surgeries done to treat epilepsy.
Important to note, surgery is generally considered for those individuals, in whom, the seizure disorders are failed to control/stop despite being on multiple anti-epileptic drugs. Epilepsy surgery can be done for both children as well as adults.
Prior to surgery, brain scan (in form of CT-scan and/ MRI) along with different types of EEGs would give the clue as to where the abnormal foci located in the brain (which could be triggering epilepsy, the areas can be multiple in a single patient itself)
Types of Brain Surgeries
- The most common one is where the Neurosurgeon cuts/resects a small portion of a brain (mainly the Temporal lobe which controls language understanding, visual memory as well as emotion).
- Laser-guided less invasive surgery, known as interstitial thermal therapy (LITT), where the laser is used to pinpoint and destroy a small portion of the brain tissue. MRI is used during the procedure for the epilepsy-surgeon/neurosurgeon’s guidance.
- Hemispherectomy – Our brain has two main parts or hemispheres. It basically means the removal of one part of the brain. This is mainly done in children. Another useful surgical procedure is functional hemispherectomy, again, mainly done in children, where the seizure-inducing part is undercut to reduce its neuronal connections from other parts of the body (the brain tissue isn’t removed here)
- Brain stimulation surgeries – This is a broad term and one of the latest types of innovative surgeries done. It is also an MRI-assisted surgery where an electrode gets permanently inserted into the brain which releases timed specific electrical signal (Deep Brain stimulation) to alter the abnormal electrical activities responsible for seizures. There is also a generator of impulse (for the electrode) which usually gets inserted in the chest. For any further updates on this you should Ask A Neurosurgeon.
- Stereotactic Brain surgery- It’s another innovative and minimally invasive (minimum operative procedure where the surgeon doesn’t have to open the skull). It uses specifically guided radiation beams along with 3-D imaging to target the seizure focus with the least impact on the surrounding healthy tissues.
At HealthCareMagic, we’ve dedicated 24x7 service of Neurologists as well as Neurosurgeons with Epilepsy Surgery speciality. Medical concerns of any forms are almost always a time dependant matter, so in case of any further queries feel free to contact Ask A Doctor for any kind of Medical assistance.