Epilepsy is a common and serious neurological condition which affects the brain and nervous system. Seizures always start in the brain and are caused by many different underlying causes.Localization of the seizure focus followed by surgical resection provides the best opportunity to cure the epilepsy, and a better understanding of the neuro-anatomy and physiology of epilepsy improves our ability to define the epileptic network and effectively treat the epilepsy
Epileptic seizures result from abnormal activity of certain brain cells (neurons). The type of surgery depends on the location of the neurons that start the seizure and the age of the patient. Types of surgery include the following:
- Deep brain stimulationis the use of a device — permanently implanted deep inside the brain — to release regularly timed electrical signals that disrupt abnormal, seizure-inducing activity. This procedure is also guided by MRI. The generator sending the electrical pulse is implanted in the chest.
- Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT)is a less invasive surgery that uses a laser to pinpoint and destroy a small portion of brain tissue. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used to guide the laser the surgeon uses.
- Resective surgery,the most common epilepsy surgery, is the removal of a small portion of the brain. The surgeon cuts out brain tissues in the area of the brain where seizures occur, usually the site of a tumor, brain injury or malformation.
- Corpus callosotomy is a surgery to completely or partially remove part of the brain that connects nerves on the right and left sides of the brain (corpus callosum). This is usually used with children who experience abnormal brain activity that spreads from one side of the brain to the other.
- Hemispherectomy is a procedure to remove one side (hemisphere) of the folded gray matter of the brain (cerebral cortex). This surgery is generally reserved for children who experience seizures that originate from multiple sites in one hemisphere, usually the result of a condition present at birth or in early infancy.
- Functional hemispherectomy is a procedure primarily used in children that removes the connection nerves without removing actual pieces of the brain.
Every examination and operation related to the disease should be performed by a properly equipped hospital with the latest medical technology and professional academic medical staff. The Turkish Health Group will definitely direct you to the hospitals with the most modern medical equipment and professional medical staff related to your disease. Contact us for more information and a free second medical reference from a professional Turkish doctors.