According to a new study, a surgical procedure may stop children from suffering from seizures. This surgery, called a hemispherectomy, actually involves the removal of half of the child’s brain.
For the study, scientists analyzed data collected from the medical records of epileptic patients who had undergone the surgery. What they found was that 56 percent of those patients stopped having seizures. The results of this study were published in the journal Epilepsia. It should be noted that only a small number of people with epilepsy are eligible for a hemispherectomy due to its radical nature, and that the recovery time can be lengthy for some patients. Almost 60 percent of the children who had the surgery were also able to attend schools with help and as many as 42 percent of the kids who were 6 years old or older could read relatively well after having the surgery.
“Given that if you had not done the intervention, most of these kids would be so severely disabled, the results are actually pretty positive,” said Dr. Gary Mathern, professor of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Of course, while this invasive surgery may stop seizures, it must only be performed on the seriously affected. Currently, epilepsy patients are treated with anti-seizure medications like Topamax. Topamax is known to cause birth defects in babies exposed to the drug in-utero. Topamax has been linked to an increased risk of suicide and suicidal thoughts as well. Some of those birth defects linked to Topamax use during pregnancy include cleft lips, cleft palates, genital defects and other birth malformations. It is side effects like these that have so many people looking for alternative treatments for epilepsy. Various surgical procedures are available, as well as different types of medications. However, most epilepsy treatments can be harmful to take or even habit-forming.
If your baby was born with birth defects after in-utero exposure to Topamax, contact attorney Greg Jones today for a free consultation. I am experienced at fighting Topamax lawsuits and may be able to help you recover money for your child’s injuries.