Many people in Mumbai have epilepsy. In some cases, medicines just do not seem to make any difference. Are you in this situation as well? Fortunately, if medications are not working out for you, there is another option to treat epilepsy.
Your neurosurgeon in Mumbai may suggest brain surgery to treat epilepsy if you have seizures that medicines cannot manage. Brain surgery for epilepsy has a high success rate. It can significantly enhance your quality of life.
In this article, we have discussed what epilepsy is and the types of brain surgeries that treat your condition. Let us begin with what epilepsy is.
What is epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a chronic brain disorder that causes repeated seizures. Its hallmark feature, repeated seizures, happens because of abnormal changes in brain wiring. Such signals lead to behavioral changes, mild sensations, and violent muscle spasms.
A seizure can cause injury and death due to hitting the head and falling or breaking a bone because of a flailing limb.
Now that you know what epilepsy is, let us discuss the different types of brain surgeries for treating it.
Types of brain surgery for epilepsy
Epilepsy can differ from one individual to another. So, several forms of surgeries are available to treat it involving:
- Resective surgery
- Multiple subpial transection
- Hemispherectomy
- Corpus callosotomy
Your specialist will inform you about the potential effectiveness and risks of each surgical choice.
Resectivesurgery:
Resective procedure is the most common type of surgery for treating epilepsy. When you have epilepsy, your specialist uses MRI to know where seizures happen in your brain. Using resective surgery; specialists can surgically take out the brain’s part where seizures occur.
They will likely take out an area roughly the size of a golf ball. Furthermore, your neurosurgeon might take out a brain lobe, a brain lesion, or a brain lobe’s portion.
The respective procedure’s most common form is a temporal lobectomy . It is the most successful type of surgery for epilepsy. It might also decrease the number of seizures you have while reducing your risk of permanent brain damage.
Multiple subpial transection:
A multiple subpial transection is an uncommon treatment. Surgeons only do this procedure on individuals who have severe and frequent seizures. It includes cutting your brain’s parts to stop the seizures spread.
Multiple subpial transection may be more beneficial than resective surgery if your seizures do not always begin in your brain’s same part. Your specialist may also suggest it if they cannot remove your brain’s part due to its vitality.
Hemispherectomy:
Hemispherectomy is the most radical form of epilepsy surgery. In this surgery, your neurosurgeon takes out the outer layer of one whole side of your brain. It is utilized when a whole side of your brain is damaged from seizures. The most found candidates for this form of the procedure are children, babies born with brain damage and older children with severe seizures.
The earlier in life you have this procedure, the better your long-term result will be.
Corpus callosotomy:
Corpus callosotomy varies from other forms of brain procedures for epilepsy as it cannot prevent seizures. Instead, its purpose is to reduce the seriousness of your seizures.Your surgeon will cut the nerve fibers between the two parts of your brain. It will help prevent seizures from extending from one hemisphere to the other.
Corpus callosotomy is usually used for children who have bad seizures that begin in one half of their brain and extend to the other. Now that you know the different types of brain surgery for epilepsy, let us discuss the surgery’s risk.
Risks of brain surgery
Brain surgery provides potential benefits that may enhance your quality of life, yet it also includes severe risks. The risks may involve:
- Infection
- Stroke
- Paralysis
- Speech issues
- Vision loss
- Motor skill’s loss
- More seizures
Different forms of brain surgeries include various risks. A hemispherectomy can affect your movement and vision. At the same time, lobe removal can cause speech and memory problems.
Some individuals who select corpus callosotomy face more seizures following the procedure. It is essential to weigh the risks and potential benefits with your specialist.
What to expect after surgery?
Brain surgery is a major surgery that needs proper recovery. If you have had brain surgery, you should not plan on taking part in everyday activities for many weeks afterward. You will have to work your way up to normal levels of physical activity.
The recovery time for brain surgeries can get long. Most patients face:
- A hospital stay lasting 3 to 4 days after the procedure
- Severe pain for some days following the procedure
- Swelling and moderate pain for many weeks
- Time off work or school for up to three months
You will have to continue taking antiseizure medicines for a couple of years after your surgery. Despite the lengthy recovery period, brain surgery can be worth it for people with epilepsy.
Consult your neurosurgeon if you think you may be the right candidate. They can assist you in understanding the potential benefits and surgery risks and the long-term outlook.