Archive for the 'Epilepsy' Category

SURGICAL APPROACHES TO EPILEPSY: SURGERY FOR PARTIAL (FOCAL) SEIZURES – INVASIVE STUDIES

Sunday, June 12th, 2011
When questions about the exact localization of the seizure focus or about the relationship of the focus to important functions such as speech or movement still remain, further studies may be required.
These further studies are “invasive,” which means that they require an operation and, therefore, carry some risk. Depth electrodes (wires placed deep in the brain) are used when the focus appears to be deep in the brain and when it is difficult to be certain where seizures are coming from. Another invasive approach is to “map” the surface of the brain by a plastic sheet (grid) of electrodes placed directly on the surface of the brain. The grid is utilized when the seizure focus is on the surface of the brain and in areas where other important functions such as speech or motor function might co-exist and could be damaged by the operation. The electrodes in the grid can directly record the abnormal electrical activity from the abnormal area and can be used to stimulate local areas of the brain to assess their function.
While depth electrodes have been used for many years, the use of a grid is relatively new. It is currently used only in very specialized situations. The grid offers a major advance in our ability to define epileptic areas carefully and to separate them from normal tissue. If these procedures are being considered for your child, you should discuss them in detail with the epilepsy center’s staff.
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OTHER APPROACHES TO THERAPY: VITAMINS

Saturday, February 26th, 2011
Vitamins are small molecules known to be necessary for certain chemical reactions to take place in the body. Although a balanced diet contains sufficient amounts of vitamins and does not require vitamin supplements, vitamin deficiencies can occur when diets are very unusual. Deficiencies also can occur in rare situations where an individual is unable to absorb vitamins from food. There also are very rare inherited conditions in which a person’s body chemistry requires unusually large amounts of a specific vitamin. One example of such a rare vitamin deficiency or dependency known to produce epilepsy is deficiency of vitamin B6, or pyridoxine. Lack of B6 may cause difficult-to-control seizures in the newborn. Your physician may give small doses of the vitamin to see whether it controls seizures in these infants. Occasionally, when older children have difficult-to-control seizures, your physician may suggest giving added pyridoxine to see if it is effective.
Except in rare, specific problems, the addition of other vitamins or mineral supplements to a balanced diet is of NO documented benefit in the treatment of seizures.
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OTHER APPROACHES TO THERAPY: VITAMINSVitamins are small molecules known to be necessary for certain chemical reactions to take place in the body. Although a balanced diet contains sufficient amounts of vitamins and does not require vitamin supplements, vitamin deficiencies can occur when diets are very unusual. Deficiencies also can occur in rare situations where an individual is unable to absorb vitamins from food. There also are very rare inherited conditions in which a person’s body chemistry requires unusually large amounts of a specific vitamin. One example of such a rare vitamin deficiency or dependency known to produce epilepsy is deficiency of vitamin B6, or pyridoxine. Lack of B6 may cause difficult-to-control seizures in the newborn. Your physician may give small doses of the vitamin to see whether it controls seizures in these infants. Occasionally, when older children have difficult-to-control seizures, your physician may suggest giving added pyridoxine to see if it is effective.Except in rare, specific problems, the addition of other vitamins or mineral supplements to a balanced diet is of NO documented benefit in the treatment of seizures.*141\208\8*

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