EN
Epilepsy is a group of neurological diseases characterized by the appearance of pathological foci in certain areas of the brain. These foci are manifested by neuronal activity, which provokes the patient’s seizure. Seizures, in turn, are manifested by cramps, loss of consciousness or short-term “cut-offs” from what is happening. The manifestation of symptoms is directly related to the localization of foci of excitation in the brain. Most often the disease manifests itself in childhood. Epilepsy has about 80 varieties of the disease. In this regard, the qualification of a doctor is very important when choosing a clinic for the treatment of epilepsy.
READ IN THE ARTICLE:
Indications for operation
Preoperative preparation
The course of the operation for epilepsy
Life after surgery
Prices for surgical treatment of epilepsy
Testimonial about surgical treatment
INDICATIONS FOR OPERATION IN EPILEPSY
Only a narrow specialization and sufficient experience allow the doctor to accurately determine the diagnosis and prescribe the right treatment.
For this reason, it is worth choosing foreign specialists – epileptologists. After all, in many countries such specialty does not exist, here epilepsy is treated by neuropathologists who do not have sufficient qualifications and experience.
In the vast majority of cases, the symptoms of epilepsy are successfully stopped with the help of medications. Thus, about 80% of patients from foreign clinics receive effective treatment with modern drugs. However, there are also 4 main indications for surgery in epilepsy:
1. The patient’s body does not react to medications.
2. Drugs greatly impair the patient’s quality of life.
3. Treatment of epilepsy by the operation does not violate the vital functions of the body.
4. Patient has no concomitant diseases that can cause complications in case of invasive intervention.
PREPARATION FOR OPERATION
Before an operative intervention, foreign epileptologists issue number of routine investigations:
- Blood test;
- 3-day EEG monitoring;
- MRI or MEG;
- PET-CT with contrast.
Investigations clarify the real diagnosis and eliminate contraindications. In addition, the latest imaging techniques give the neurosurgeon the ability to determine the location and depth of surgical instruments. Thus, the course of the operation is thought out in advance. This allows to minimize operational risks and optimize the intervention process.
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COURSE OF OPERATION
Intervention for epilepsy is a complicated surgical procedure that requires the surgeon to have the utmost precision. Modern medicine offers several methods of invasive intervention in epilepsy:
Resection of the pathological focus of epilepsy is an operation on the brain, involving removal with the scalpel and neuronavigation tools. The operation is effective in focal epilepsy – when the focus is localized.
Multiple subpial transections are small incisions around the pathological focus with which the surgeon isolates the area of the brain in which neuronal activity occurs. Such operations are carried out in cases when it is not possible to safely remove the site.
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) – a neurosurgical procedure, during which the doctor installs electrodes in pathological areas of the brain. These electrodes under the skin are connecting with a stimulator through wire. The stimulant itself is usually placed under the patient’s collarbone. The method allows the patient to monitor the operation of the device using a special console.
Stimulation of the vagus nerve – a manipulation that resembles a deep brain stimulation, with the difference that the electrode is not accessed into the brain, but to the Vagus nerve, which is in the neck.
LIFE AFTER OPERATION FOR EPILEPSY
It should be understood that surgery for epilepsy, like any other surgical intervention, has its risks. The use of minimally invasive techniques and instruments of neuronavigation with visualization in real time allows foreign doctors to minimize the risks of postoperative complications. For example, the risk of complications after the procedure of deep brain stimulation in epilepsy does not exceed 1%.
However, one should be aware that after surgery on the brain with epilepsy, as with other diseases, there is a chance of side effects. Among them:
- Traditional risks of infection and damage to blood vessels and tissues;
- Neurological deficit (lack of mobility or sensitivity) is temporary, but it can deliver some inconvenience to the patient;
- In case of implantation of a stimulator, there is a risk of rejection of the implant;
- Possible disturbances of swallowing after stimulation of the vagus nerve.
The results after surgery for epilepsy are quite impressive – in 65-85% of patients the number of attacks decreases while in some these disappear completely.
HOW MUCH DOES SURGERY COST FOR EPILEPSY?
The cost of surgery for epilepsy differs significantly depending on the method and chosen clinic. About how much the operation costs for epilepsy, and whether it is needed at all, can be judged only after a thorough diagnosis and the conclusion of an epileptologist.
- Thus, the cost of treating epilepsy using the method of multiple subpial transections will cost $ 19,000 – $ 26,200.
- The cost of an operation for epilepsy using the DBS method can range from $ 18,000 in clinics of India to $ 120,000 in Israel.
- Interventions using stereotaxic methods will cost $ 18,000 – $ 19,000.
- The cost of stimulating the Vagus nerve starts at $ 25,000.
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TESTIMONIAL ABOUT OPERATION FOR EPILEPSY
“Younger son was diagnosed with temporal epilepsy for which an operation was required. Medicines did not help us as his showed resistance to antiepileptic drugs. Although we were frightened that the operation with epilepsy has negative consequences, but Turkish doctors were able to convince us. Moreover, we could no longer look at the seizures of the child. Contrary to all the horror stories about the possible risks after the operation on the brain for a child with epilepsy, we went for it. For the first couple of weeks after the operation, he could not fully raise the right hand, but it soon disappeared. The result is remarkable – it’s already 7 months without a single attack. We hope that he will not have seizures again in life! “
