The main goal in the treatment of patients who are suffering from epilepsy is to get seizure-free status without unpleasant effect. It is a condition that causes seizures, temporary conditions which include twitching and convulsions. This seizure usually happens when the impulse in the brain acts abnormally and sends erratic signals to the brain. It can be interpreted as brain getting confused by these haywire messages and the result is a seizure in a person as the interpretation of the message is not clear.

The simple process of cooking food, driving a car and crossing a road could also be dangerous, it is because you can never know when a seizure can strike. However, this condition of epilepsy can very well be maintained by the medication and other treatments. Learning your risk to reduce seizures through lifestyle change and learning your triggers can also help you in the better management of such conditions.

Symptoms that reflects seizure:

The main symptoms of epilepsy are a seizure. All different types of epilepsy have its own symptoms, which differs from case to case. Following are some other symptoms:

  • Slight twitching of all the parts of the body which includes areas like arms, le and hands.
  • Convulsion affecting the entire body of a person.
  • Loss of consciousness
  • Twitching of the face
  • Change in speech
  • Sudden stillness with a blank stare
  • Temporary loss of control over your bladder or bowels.

Diagnosis of epilepsy

A doctor may recommend the test like neurological test and a complete physical exam to diagnose the cause of the seizure and diagnose epilepsy. Test includes

  • EEG that is electroencencephaloram to measure the electrical activity of the brain.
  • A spinal tap to collect spinal fluid for the analysis
  • Imaging tests like that of MRI or CT scan of the head
  • Test of liver functions and Kidney function
  • Glucose in the blood test
  • Complete blood count

Treatments

There are multiple strategies that the doctor follows to treat epilepsy. Usually, medication is given to the patients for controlling the seizures. The complete prescribed drugs are called anticonvulsants. However only medication is not enough to treat the condition of patients.

Doctors also prescribe high fat in the diet and reduce the cholesterol. This is called the ketogenic diet which helps people if medication alone is not working. Another treatment is the surgery. But if the medication and ketogenic diet help there is no need for operation.

Epilepsy surgery

Surgery is the option if:

  • If the doctors have a clear idea about the area of the brain where the seizures start, also called seizure focus
  • The area to be removed does not control the critical function of the body like language, sensation or movement.
  • Your seizure are disabling
  • Medication cannot control the seizure
  • Drug side effects are severed and have started affecting your quality of life

Types of Surgery

Surgery type depends upon the type of seizures you have and where in your brain they start.

Lobe resection:

The brain of human can be divided into lobes and one of those lobes is temporal lobe. Temporal lobe epilepsy in which the seizure focus is inside the temporal lobe, which is very common in teens and adults. Brain tissue in that area is cut away to remove the seizure focus.

Lesionectomy:

A seizure is caused by the brain lesions which are the area of injury or defect like a tumor or malformed blood vessel. Surgery removes the lesion, once removed the seizure stops.

Corpus callosotomy:

Corpus callosum is a band of nerve fiber that is connecting the two halves of your brain. In surgery, the doctor cuts the corpus callosum. This stops communication between hemisphere and prevents the spread of seizure from one side of the brain to other. It is best for those patients who have an extreme form of uncontrollable epilepsy.

Functional hemispherectomy:

In hemispherectomy, the surgeon will remove an entire hemisphere or half your brain. And in functional hemispherectomy, they leave the hemisphere but disconnect it from rest of the brain. He only removes some part of the brain tissues.

Multiple subpial transactions:

The procedure can help control seizures that begin in the area of the brain that can’t be safely operated. The surgeon makes shallow cuts in brain tissues. These cuts disrupt the flow of seizure but do not disturb the normal functioning of the brain.

Vagus nerve stimulation:

A device is put under your skin which sends an electronic jolt to the vagus nerve. This nerve actually controls the activity of the brain and internal organs. It lowers seizure activity.

For any type of treatment connected too epilepsy you can meet Dr. Sumit Goyal and get all the information regarding its treatment and functioning.