Epilepsy Surgery:
Epilepsy is a neurological illness in which brain activity becomes aberrant, resulting in seizures or episodes of odd behavior, feelings, and even loss of consciousness. Epilepsy may strike anybody at any time. Males and females of various races, ethnic origins, and ages are affected by epilepsy. Dr Ammar Anwer is one of the few Neurosurgeons in the region who is offering Epilepsy Surgery to those patients who have Medical Refractory Epilepsy.
Indications of Epilepsy Surgery:
- Drug Resistant Epilepsy
The International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) has defines drug resistant epilepsy (DRE) as “Drug-resistant epilepsy occurs when a person has failed to become (and stay) seizure free with adequate trials of two antiseizure medications (called ASMs).” - Hippocampal sclerosis
- Focal cortical dysplasia
- Sturge-Weber syndrome
- Hemimegalencephaly
- Rasmussen syndrome
- Porencephalic cyst
- Hemiconvulsion-hemiplegia-epilepsy syndrome
Procedure:
These patients are referred by neurologists to Dr Ammar Anwer after complere workup. They types of Epilepsy surgery being offered is;
- Resective surgery
- Peri-Insular Hemispherotomy
- Anterior Temporal Lobectomy and Amygdalohippocampectomy
- Selective Amygdalohippocampectomy
- Transventricular Corpus Callosotomy
- Neuromodulation procedures
- Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)
- Vagus Nerve Stimulation
All these epilepsy surgical services are available with Dr Ammar Anwer.
Tests needed prior to epilepsy surgery:
To make epilepsy surgery safe and deliver results, following tests are needed. Please make sure that you bring these tests (that are not older than 15 days) at the time of your appointment
- Video EEG (VEEG)
- MRI Brain with Epilepsy Protocol
- PET Scan Brain
Expected Recovery:
Patient will need to be hospitalized for 4-6 days after surgery. Once patient is discharged, stiches are removed on 14th day. The patient has to remain on followup for 1 year for gradual tapering off of medication. With surgery, quality of life is significantly improved and upto 85-90% seizure control is achieved depending upon the type of surgery.
Complications:
The major complications of epilepsy surgery include;
- Bleeding into surgical site (anatomic hemispherectomy)
- Progressive hydrocephalus (anatomic hemispherectomy)
- Postoperative infarction from injury to the Sylvian vein Sinus thrombosis
- Memory decline and anomic aphasia (temporal lobe resection)
- Vasospasm and with contralateral superior quadrantanopia following the injury to Meyer’s loop (amygdalohippocampectomy)
- Disconnection syndrome (corpus callosotomy)
- Cough and hoarseness of voice (vagal nerve stimulation)