Surgery may be better than medication for some patients with epilepsy. In a new study researchers studied the effects of surgery on patients with frontal lobe epilepsy, who had been having seizures for about 12 years.
Nearly 70 percent became seizure free if operated on within five years of developing epilepsy, compared to only 31 percent if surgery was performed later, according to Dr. Lara Jehi, a neurologist at Cleveland Clinic who led the study.
She said, "so, these patients were having bad seizures for 12 years and it was 20 years in others before the surgery actually happened. And what we found is if that surgery, that same surgery happened 2 years into the epilepsy or 5 years into the epilepsy, rather than 15 or 20 years later, the chances for success were triple, sometimes even went up by 6 times."
Surgery is not typically recommended until it's been determined that seizure medications are not working, which could take years.
Nearly 70 percent became seizure free if operated on within five years of developing epilepsy, compared to only 31 percent if surgery was performed later, according to Dr. Lara Jehi, a neurologist at Cleveland Clinic who led the study.
She said, "so, these patients were having bad seizures for 12 years and it was 20 years in others before the surgery actually happened. And what we found is if that surgery, that same surgery happened 2 years into the epilepsy or 5 years into the epilepsy, rather than 15 or 20 years later, the chances for success were triple, sometimes even went up by 6 times."
Surgery is not typically recommended until it's been determined that seizure medications are not working, which could take years.
