Epilepsy is one of the commonest neurological disorders. Approximately 70% of people with newly diagnosed epilepsy can expect to achieve seizure freedom within a 10-year period following diagnosis. Factors that predict favourable outcome include idiopathic or cryptogenic epilepsy and childhood epilepsy. Though the prevalence data from India is not available, it is estimated that the incidence of intractable epilepsy is around 6-7/1,00,000. Out of this more than 50% are suffering from secondarily generalized epilepsy that can benefit from surgery. By this estimate approximately 2.4 to 3.2 lac people suffering from intractable epilepsy can benefit from surgery.
Surgical treatment of epilepsy is a treatment option in patients whose seizures are not responsive to medications or for patients who are unable to tolerate medication side effects. Medication may not also be the preferred treatment for patients whose seizures are caused by structural abnormalities in the brain.
Patients with poorly controlled seizures of any age who are otherwise in good health are candidates for epilepsy surgery. Epilepsy surgery candidates are typically young adults. However, the current trend is toward early intervention in children to avoid many of the psychosocial consequences of growing up with epilepsy.
The Epilepsy Surgery Program at the Jaslok Hospital and research centre is managed by a group of specialist dedicated to the field of epilepsy. They include Epileptologist; Dr. Joy Desai, Neurophysiologists Dr. Piroja Wadia, Neuroradiologist Dr. Srinivas Desai, Neuropsychologist and Neurosurgeon Dr. Paresh Doshi. It is a major referral centre of India that offers complete evaluation and surgical treatment for epilepsy.