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Is Surgery Best To Eliminate Epileptic Seizures?

PITTSBURGH (CBS) ― The Epilepsy Foundation estimates that 200,000 new cases of epilepsy are diagnosed each year. Of those, 45,000 cases are in kids under 15.

When medicine doesn't control seizures, surgery can; and some doctors would like to see younger patients opt for the surgical option earlier.

At 15, Jessica Wilson has a lot to look forward to. "Driving is coming up in the next couple years."

Just a year ago, driving wasn't a realistic goal for Jessica. She's had epilepsy since she was six. Her seizures were unpredictable.

"The longest she went without a seizure was four months on one of the drugs… but then they would start back up again," her mother, Debbie Wilson explained.

After multiple medicines failed, the Wilsons decided to see if Jessica was a candidate for epilepsy-curing brain surgery. 

"Surgery in many cases is a chance to cure the epilepsy," explains Dr. Deborah Holder. "The seizures go away, and you can come off medication and live the rest of your life with no seizures."

Patients are hospitalized for two or more weeks with electrodes attached to the brain.

Although hard to watch, a seizure helped doctors pinpoint the area of Jessica's brain that was triggering the problem.

One year after brain surgery, Jessica is medicine- and seizure-free.

"As a parent, like I felt that I was giving her every opportunity to lead a normal life by having this done," Debbie Wilson added.

Dr. Holder says she would like to see more families explore the possibility of surgery. "We're doing surgery now on much younger patients. We've done, done kids as young as two years. Our goal would be to get rid of the epilepsy before the patient even knows they have seizures to try to cure the disease before it really affects their quality of life."

Holder says most large children's hospitals have epilepsy specialists that can determine if you or your child is a candidate for surgery.

The Epilepsy Foundation also has resources to help find an expert in your area. For more information, log on to  www.epilepsyfoundation.org.

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