Surgery can cure Epilepsy permanently

CHENNAI: Chandana was eight-years-old when she was diagnosed with absent seizures. After years of taking tablets to treat the disease, her parents opted for surgery to give her a new lease of life. She is now 18, and enjoys a full life as any girl her age does.A highly stigmatised disease, epilepsy is spoken of in hushed tones, even though one in 150 people in the world are affected by it. This has led to a lot of myths and misconceptions regarding the treatment that can be given to control and perhaps cure the ailment.Aiming at increasing awareness of the different options available to patients suffering from epilepsy, Apollo Institute of Neurosciences has launched the Difficult-to-Treat Epilepsy Clinic. Surgery is now considered a relatively safe.There are 50 to 60 million people suffering from epilepsy the world over. Of this, one-third are resistant to drug therapy. Half of them may benefit from surgery. This is especially true for those who suffered from febrile seizures as children and for those who have not found relief after using medication for 30 to 40 years. Scars cannot be treated by medicines, and have to be removed with surgery, and the patient can be permanently cured.  At a press conference held to launch the clinic, Dr Prithika Chary, senior consultant neurologist and neurosurgeon, Apollo Institute of Neurosciences, said the general public are unaware that there is treatment beyond lifelong medication for those suffering from epilepsy. “Surgery has a risk percentage of less than 1%.”“A detailed physical and psychological investigation and testing is done first. All the data is then correlated and if the matching suggests surgery, it is advised,” she said. After surgery, the patient can slowly be weaned off medications after a year. The entire process will cost around `1.5 lakh.Dr Chendilnathan, consultant neurosurgeon at the institute, said, “Everyone wants a normal life. Sometimes they cannot get this even if they take hundreds of medicines. But surgery will give them this option.” The clinic will conduct a free consultation from November 14 to 18. For details, contact 044-42291295.