NHS to roll out ‘groundbreaking’ laser beam surgery to prevent seizures

By Liam On May 6, 2024

Epileptic patients will soon be treated with a new ‘groundbreaking’ laser beam therapy on the NHS.

The treatment is known as Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT) and uses fiber optic lasers to target the affected brain tissue to help reduce seizures.

Surgeons first drill a small hole in the skull so that a 1.5 mm wide probe with a laser at the tip can be inserted into the brain.

This small laser is used to destroy brain tissue that causes epilepsy from within by heating it.

Medics use an MRI scanner to navigate the brain and avoid blood vessels and other critical structures.

The treatment consists of drilling a small hole so that a 1.5 mm wide probe with a fiber optic laser at the tip can be inserted into the skull.

The scanner also helps to monitor the temperature of the surrounding tissue to ensure it does not overheat.

Patients can recover from the laser treatment within 24 to 48 hours and with minimal risk of infection.

A previous surgery that provided the same type of treatment required a much more extensive operation from which recovery could take months.

WHAT IS EPILEPSY?

Epilepsy is a condition that affects the brain and puts patients at risk for seizures.

About one in a hundred people in Britain have epilepsy, according to statistics from Epilepsy Action.

And in the US, 1.2 percent of the population has the condition, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Anyone can have a seizure, which does not automatically mean they have epilepsy.

It usually takes more than one episode before a diagnosis is made.

Seizures occur when there is a sudden burst of electrical activity in the brain, disrupting its functioning.

Some seizures keep people alert and aware of their surroundings, while others cause people to lose consciousness.

Some also cause patients to experience unusual sensations, feelings or movements, or to become stiff and fall to the floor where they jerk.

Epilepsy can be caused at any age by a stroke, brain infection, head injury, or problems during birth that lead to a lack of oxygen.

But in more than half of the cases, a cause is never found.

Antiepileptic drugs do not cure the condition, but they help stop or reduce seizures.

If these don’t work, brain surgery may be effective.

Source: Epilepsy action

According to the NHS, LITT patients can usually return to work and other activities within a week.

Each year in England, up to 50 patients whose epilepsy cannot be controlled with standard anti-epileptic drugs are eligible for LITT, the health service said.

James Palmer, NHS England medical director for specialist services and consultant neurosurgeon, said the LITT would make a huge difference to these patients.

‘This laser beam therapy is groundbreaking for patients and will provide new hope for the NHS for those for whom standard medicines are not effective in controlling their seizures,’ he said.

‘This leading technology will not only help replace invasive surgery for patients, which can have a huge impact and take months to recover from, but it will also allow doctors to better target the parts of the brain that cause epilepsy. which dramatically reduces the risk of epilepsy. risks and helps shorten the recovery time of patients both inside and outside the hospital.’

The laser treatment is offered at King’s College London and the Walton Center in Liverpool.

Laura Diable, 39, from Birkenhead, was one of the first patients with epilepsy to receive LITT at The Walton Centre.

‘I haven’t had a single attack since having the procedure almost a year ago. It has made a huge difference to my quality of life,” she said.

‘The attacks used to incapacitate me, leaving black spots in my memory. Thanks to LITT I can get on with my life and worry less about my epilepsy.

About 600,000 people in Britain suffer from epilepsy, equivalent to almost one in 100 people.

Although most people can use medications to help stop or reduce seizures, about a third of patients cannot control their seizures with medications alone.

For many of these patients, neurosurgery to remove the epilepsy-causing part of the brain is the only option.

Alison Fuller, Director of Health Improvement and Influence at Epilepsy actionwelcomed the NHS announcement.

“This new therapy is an exciting glimmer of hope for the many people with epilepsy whose lives are affected by the harsh reality of uncontrolled seizures,” she said.

‘Research shows that about three in ten people with epilepsy have seizures that do not respond well to standard treatment with epilepsy medications.

‘This means many continue to face significant challenges in other areas of life, from education to employment.’

There are around 600,000 people in Britain with epilepsy, which is almost one in 100 people

Ley Sander, medical director of the Epilepsy Society and professor of neurology at University College London (UCL), said: ‘This non-invasive form of neurosurgery could be game-changing for some people with brain lesions whose seizures do not respond to conventional treatment options, including more invasive epilepsy surgery.

‘It will make the surgery safer and faster and dramatically shorten the recovery period for individuals. We are particularly proud that the advanced navigation system guiding this ground-breaking operation was developed at the Epilepsy Society’s MRI Unit.

‘This allows the surgical team to safely navigate to the exact area of the brain affected, avoiding blood vessels and critical structures. This is a major advance in epilepsy surgery as a treatment option for lesional epilepsy.”

The NHS will roll out the LITT to more patients in June.