- Neurosurgeons Enrique de Font-Réaulx Rojas and Javier Terrazo Lluch performed the first case of stereoelectroencephalography and radiofrequency ablation in Mexico.
- Intracranial electrodes make it possible to detect areas in the brain that cause epileptic seizures.
- It is estimated that there are at least 50 million people with epilepsy worldwide.
Innovation is a fundamental part of health. Through technology, important advances have been achieved and although it is often thought that they are only available in first world countries, this is not the case. In fact, a hospital made history because it performed the first case of stereoelectroencephalography in Mexico, But do you know what it is and for what types of patients is it recommended?
First of all it is necessary to talk about the epilepsy, one of the most frequent neurological diseases in the world. It is characterized by the fact that it generates recurrent and spontaneous crises in affected people that can trigger numerous neurological, cognitive and psychosocial consequences.
It is also the disease responsible for a significant proportion worldwide morbidity affecting more than 50 million people. According to estimates, 49 out of 100,000 people are diagnosed with some type of epilepsy each year. While in low- and middle-income countries this figure can rise to 139 per 100,000 people.
Through a proper diagnosis and classification of epilepsy It is possible to establish both its prognosis and the specific treatment that help in making medical decisions to improve the quality of life of both the patient and his family.
The Specialized Epilepsy Center of the ABC Medical Center provides care for patients with seizures or epilepsy, while specializing in providing comprehensive diagnostic services and surgical treatments for patients with uncontrolled or drug-resistant seizures.
In some cases of epilepsy drug resistant, clinical information, routine electroencephalograms and imaging studies are not enough to define a surgical treatment. In this type of situation, it is necessary to carry out studies such as positron emission tomography (FDG-PET), SPECT or the so-called Phase II, which consists of implanting intracranial electrodes.
For its part, the Specialized Epilepsy Center of the ABC Medical Center is the only one in Mexico that has managed to carry out the procedure known as stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG). It consists of making three-dimensional and prolonged recordings to analyze the epileptogenic circuit of the patient, being able to offer them a better treatment option with focal ablations at the site of onset of the seizures”.
First hospital in Mexico that performs this procedure
Neurosurgeons Enrique de Font-Réaulx Rojas and Javier Terrazo Lluch performed the first case of stereoelectroencephalography and radiofrequency ablation in Mexico. With this procedure they were able to implant intracranial electrodes for the diagnosis and treatment of a patient who presented seizures generated in certain areas of the brain.
Dr. de Font-Réaulx said that “thanks to this diagnostic study we concluded that the patient had a cerebral hemorrhage before birth, and we identified the area that caused the crises, but not only that, we were able to treat it through the same electrode, without open surgery and without pain through focal ablation by radiofrequency. The result was successful as the patient did not show a seizure again”.
The specialist also added that it is important that epilepsy be seen as a global health priority, especially when there is preventive management and effective treatments that substantially reduce disability and morbidity and mortality associated with this condition.
For this reason, it is important that the population knows the diagnosis and treatment options that are already available today in specialized epilepsy centers so that they seek an evaluation that establishes treatment options that provide them with quality of life.
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3 out of 10 patients with epilepsy do not respond to pharmacological treatments