Video Q&A about Epilepsy

1️⃣ What percentage of E surgery gives 100% seizure control without any side effects long term?

2️⃣ What percentage of E surgery gives 100% seizure control with side effects?

3️⃣ How often do side effects occur from E surgery?

4️⃣ Why do so many Physicians do surgery if 2 medications are unsuccessful in controlling seizures, I know MANY people who have total or near-total seizure control on 3, 4 or 5 meds?

5️⃣ Why shouldn't every possible combination of AED’s and dosage be tried prior to surgery?

6️⃣ Epidiolex hasn't been the E cure-all once thought, can you talk about its actual success rate.

7️⃣ Why do physicians not try Phenobarbital more often in the U.S? It has helped a lot of people I know including myself.

8️⃣ Why don't doctors talk more openly about S.U.D.E.P. with at-risk patients?

9️⃣ Does a Hemispherectomy ever accomplish 100% seizure control without changing the seizures or causing other side effects?

🔟 Routine EEG’s often is normal, how do you decide when to do a sleep-deprived, ambulatory, veeg, etc.

Thank you,
Jake

Is there anything currently available or in the pipeline similar to Responsive neurostimulation for Tonic-Clonic seizures that will stop them before they get started.
Jake

As an aspiring physician and someone who has a history of seizures, is there anything limitations I will encounter. As far as what I can can not do when treating a patient?
For example, can I perform surgery (after proper training)?

To date I have had MRI, 3TMRI, EEG. Results clear, nothing to indicate why I experienced 2 seizures. I await a prolonged EEG. I personally feel my seizures are linked to a 3 Phase electric shock, which I experienced, there is no other explanation.
I would love to talk directly to you about this. Gerard Gannon, from Ireland.

Hi Gerard. I sent you question to Dr. Ritaccio. Here is his response:
I can only answer this question generally. A prolonged EEG can only detect irritability supportive of a seizure tendency in the future, or at best, might record a seizure event itself to understand its type and location of onset. An EEG does not tell you “why” you have seizures. If the reason for ongoing seizure tendencies is based on a past event, such as injury, the reason is not relevant to treatment. Treatments are based on preventing seizures pharmacologically, or in select seizure types, removing or modulating the area where a seizure begins. This approach is taken independent of why seizures started in the first place.

Thank you for your reply, it enlightens my concerns. I appreciate it.
Have Mayo Clinic come across my dilemma before?
Kind regards, Gerard Gannon