"Thoughts of Spring"

Spring has begun as evident by longer days, warmer temperatures, and the desire to put the long cold winter behind us. Summer is drawing near. More people are outside playing, walking, driving and enjoying the best of the outdoors. Our thoughts often turn to spring cleaning and personal renewal. For some people, this time of year is marked by looking for a fresh start; finding a novel approach to dealing with situations at hand. In individuals with epilepsy or their families, their attention is diverted to “What can I do to improve my seizure control?” or “How can I join the rest of world in their pursuit of happiness?” At Epilepsy.com/Professionals, we have some answers to these questions.

Given that April marks the beginning of Spring, our focus on Epilepsy.com/Professionals during this month is on ways in which health care professionals can best help their patients in potentially curing their epilepsy. Because surgery is the only known way to effectively cure seizures in some individuals, our focal point is epilepsy surgery. Three Hallway Conversations devoted to the topic of curative procedures for epilepsy are scheduled. On April 9, Dr. Jeffrey Buchhalter of Phoenix Children’s Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona discusses the issue of Epilepsy Surgery in Children. At which point should surgery be considered? What are the complications and what are the ramifications for school, growth and socialization?

Noninvasive surgical techniques are an area of medical growth and innovation. How to perform surgery without using a scalpel has become a goal of sorts for both patients and surgeons. Along that theme, on April 16, we talk to Dr. Paul Garcia from the University of California at San Francisco regarding a novel alternative to resective surgery; radiosurgery. There are large multicenter trials currently enrolling patients in the United States to address whether this non-invasive technique to render someone seizure-free may be employed and may lead to better results as compared to traditional resective surgery. We hope to understand thinking and experience about the idea of radiation therapy for epilepsy by talking to a leading clinical researcher on the technique.

On April 23, 2009 Dr. Gregory Cascino from Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota sits down with us to discuss epilepsy surgery in adult patients. What are the risks? Who should be monitored? Are there new techniques for monitoring and conducting surgery that leads to better and safer results for patients? What are the ramifications to not operating and are there any pitfalls that we need to be concerned about? Some interesting new information about how epilepsy surgery can improve life expectancy will also be addressed. We hope that you find Hallway Conversations and Epilepsy.com/Professionals useful and helpful for you and your patients in order to help maximize the quality of life for the patients whose care we have been entrusted to deliver. For more information on surgery for epilepsy visit the section on the topic at http://professionals.epilepsy.com/page/surgery.html

Sincerely,

Joseph I. Sirven, MD

Epilepsy.com Board members and contributors cannot give medical advice by email. Only a doctor who has examined the patient and reviewed the medical records can comment on individual patient issues.

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