Tuesday, April 9, 2013

How Neurosurgery Can Stop Epilepsy In Its Tracks

Because of advancements in neurosurgery Nashville residents who have epilepsy now have the option of surgery to stop their seizures permanently. Surgery on the brain used to be too dangerous to contemplate but today it\’s a possibility for many. Before that, patients would have to wear helmets to limit seizure-caused injury as there was no other solution.


Patients who have medication resistant epilepsy can now elect to have an operation. There are four different types for seizures, and many cure epilepsy for life. Others may be candidates for this operation if they have psychological symptoms, cognitive decline, recurrent status epilepticus or frequently occurring accidental injury.


The first step is to meet with an epilepsy neurosurgeon for a consultation. Even if the patient is aware of the type of epilepsy he has, a diagnostic test will be ordered to locate the precise sight in the brain that is triggering the seizures. This tells the surgeon the type of operation required and where to operate.


The diagnostic test is similar to an EEG. It can last days or weeks, during which the patient wears electrodes on the head to pinpoint the seizure sight. Patients usually go off their epilepsy medication for the test\’s duration. Some doctors try to trigger seizures by limiting the patient\’s sleep and food intake. Others take a kinder stance and simply wait for the seizure to happen.


Temporal lobe epilepsy makes a patient a good candidate for an operation. Here, the site where the seizure triggers is sectioned away from the rest of the brain. This prevents electrical activity from spreading to other areas.


The resection results in such high success rates that it\’s being offered frequently to patients who respond well to medication. After this type of neurosurgery Nashville dwellers have an excellent chance of a better quality of life. They are able to live without medication and no more seizures are likely to occur.


You can visit the website http://www.neurosurgerynashville.com for more helpful information about neurosurgery Nashville.



How Neurosurgery Can Stop Epilepsy In Its Tracks

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