It turns out that there may be a better and faster alternative to treating epilepsy in the form of laser surgery. That may be a welcome bit of news for the many patients taking Topamax, which has been associated with birth defects in babies born to mothers taking the drug.

The new laser surgery has so far been shown to significantly improve an epileptic’s quality of life. The first of the laser surgeries on children were performed by Dr. Daniel Curry and Dr. Angus Wilfong of Texas Children’s Hospital. The doctors have said that the surgery uses a laser probe that is guided by MRI and uses a significantly smaller path through the brain to get to the deep lesion that generally causes epilepsy and uncontrollable seizures. So far, there have been five surgeries performed successfully on children at Texas Children’s.

That surgical procedure now is being performed on adults in Houston as well. Dr. Amit Verma, of Methodist Hospital, has performed the minimally-invasive surgery successfully already and it worked, as the patient hasn’t had a seizure ever since. The procedures have worked so well that many doctors across Texas are now hoping to start performing the surgery.

While there are many different epileptic medications that can help to combat seizures like Topamax, the side effects of the drugs can prove to be as debilitating as the seizures. Topamax has been linked to birth defects in women who take the drug while pregnant. Some of the side effects include heart, lung and brain defects as well as cleft lip and cleft palate. The surgery may prove to be a safer alternative for women who want to be become pregnant someday and currently are taking drugs like Topamax.

If your baby has suffered from Topamax birth defects, contact attorney Greg Jones today for a free consultation. I am experienced at fighting drug injury cases and may be able to help you recover money for your child’s medical expenses.