Hyderabad girl free of fits after surgeries in city hospital

In 2010, when she started having seizures, she was administered antiepileptic drugs, to which she responded well. However, after two years, she developed daily epileptic seizures. Despite having undergone a series of complex tests, and having had daily seizures for five years, the challenge doctors faced was locating the origin of the seizure in her brain. However, after she took an intracranial EEG monitoring last year, she underwent the surgeries. “I used to have five to six seizures daily, which disturbed my sleep and drained my energy. I would feel drowsy throughout the day. I love swimming, but could not even think of it,” said the teenager.

Failing to respond to a variety of antiepileptic medication, she went through a battery of complex tests to try and establish the seizure point. The results, however, showed various conflicting results. “Epilepsy patients have a traumatic experience during their seizures. It affects their personality, lowers their confidence and makes daily life very difficult,” said Dr K Lakshminarayanan, Paediatric Epileptologist, Fortis Malar Hospital, where Priya was treated at the comprehensive epilepsy centre. 

Explaining the procedure, Dr Dinesh Nayak, Senior Consultant Neurologist and Epileptologist at the hospital said, “She underwent a test called intracranial EEG monitoring which involves the study of electrical activity, by directly placing electrodes over the brain surface. During the first surgery, 56 electrodes (48-contact subdural grid and two 4-contact strips) were placed over the regions of the brain and her seizures were recorded.” 

He also added that one of the biggest challenges in epilepsy surgery is the accurate identification of the point of origin of the seizure. 

In Priya’s case, everything went well. Post-surgery, she is now energetic throughout the day and is hopeful of  returning to her hobbies in six months time.