Epilepsy Surgery: Treatment, Cost and Side Effects

Mild seizures can be treated by certain medications, but, in case medicines do not improve a person’s condition surgery for treating epilepsy might be recommended. This surgery is very effective and most patients go back to leading a normal life post surgery. There are various surgeries to treat different type of epilepsy. These are as follows:

Resective surgery is performed to treat the most common types of epilepsy. This surgery deals with the removal of those parts in the brain where seizures occur. The doctor is able to locate the seizures using a MRI. Temporal Lobectomy is one of the most common kinds of a respective surgery.

In rare cases seizures occur at various parts of the brain. Multiple subpial transection is a type of surgery which is performed to treat serious cases of seizures. Here a part of be brain might be removed. If the seizure does not keep occurring in the same area of the brain then a multiple subpial transaction surgery can prove to be a more successful surgery option than a respective one.

Hemispherectomy is a type of surgery where the outer layer of one side of the brain is removed, which is affected by epilepsy.

Corpus callosotomy is a surgery that involves the cutting off of some of the nerve fibers in the brain. This surgery does not remove epilepsy completely, but after this surgery the intensity of epilepsy is reduced.

Surgery to cure epilepsy is recommended to those people whose condition does not improve even after taking medicines. These are the various kinds of surgeries that are performed to prevent epilepsy.

Resective Surgery: This is the commonest type of intervention where the surgery is performed to remove that part of the brain which is the source of seizures. The doctor finds this source by running an MRI scan on the patient. In most cases the surgery helps a person to completely recover from epilepsy. The surgery can also be characterized by the removal of the brain lobe or a portion of the lobe depending on the condition of the patient.

Multiple Subpial Transection: If you are suffering from a condition where there is no single source of seizures, that is, they occur in various parts of the brain, you will have to undergo this surgery. Here different parts of the brain which trigger spasms are removed.

Hemispherectomy: If seizures cause brain damage, which is very rare, this surgery is performed. This surgery is mostly performed on babies who are born with congenital seizures and young adults. Here the entire outer layer of one side of the brain is surgically removed.

Corpus Callosotomy: There are nerve fibers that exist between the two sides of the brain. This surgery is characterized by the clipping off of these nerve fibers. This surgery is different from other types of surgeries in that it helps to reduce the intensity of the epilepsy but does not remove it completely.

A person, who suffers from uncontrollable jerking movements throughout the body regularly, loses consciousness on a daily basis or observes psychological disorders like too much anxiety or fear is a suitable candidate for severe epilepsy. In such cases surgery might be required.

A person who finds relief from epilepsy by taking medicines does not need surgery. Only those who do not get respite from epilepsy even after taking medicines need epilepsy surgery.

Brain surgery for epilepsy usually proves to be very effective. But this surgery is not risk-free. Some of the serious complications that might crop up owing to surgery include infection, stroke, paralysis, speech difficulties, vision disorders, motor skills impairment. In some cases, surgery, instead of removing seizures worsens the condition.

After surgery the patient will feel pain and swelling for a few days. The patient needs to take good rest and should not start normal activities before three months post surgery. Depending on the kind of surgery the patient might have to take anti-epileptic medicines for at least a year or two. Regular checkups might be needed too.

It takes a while before a person is fully recovered, almost three months, after which he/she can continue regular activities.

The price of epilepsy surgery in India could be anywhere between INR 2,00000 and INR 2,50,000.

If the surgery is successful, then the patient stands a chance to enjoy permanent recovery. However, in case of Corpus Callosotomy, the nerve fibers are clipped off, and the intensity of seizures would reduce. But the result would not be permanent.

Some of the herbs that are used to treat epilepsy are burning bush, valerian, peony, mistletoe, mugwort etc. However, there is no scientific evidence to prove that these herbs are effective. So it is better to go for traditional treatment when it comes to treatment for epilepsy.