April 21, 2016

Epilepsy Laser Surgery Gives Teen Normal Life (Video)

When medicines failed, Ohio boy found another option in minimally invasive procedure

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More than 5 million people in the United States have a history of epilepsy, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Most active cases of epilepsy can be well controlled with medicine but some people, like 18-year-old Collin May of Ohio, struggle with the disease and find little relief in common therapies.

Some days, May would have more than 50 seizures and he was exhausted.

“At night I would have the seizures and wouldn’t get a lot of sleep at all and then I’d wake up and be tired and that would give me more seizures,” said May. “And I would go to school and you know, getting a lecture in class, and I’d have another seizure.”

Seizures controlled May’s life and medicines weren’t working so his family sought help at Cleveland Clinic where a newer type of brain surgery was available using lasers.

The surgery is minimally invasive and May was left with just a single stitch to close the incision – compared to traditional brain surgery which involves a large incision, opening the skull and a lengthy recovery.

During the operation, doctors used sophisticated mapping tools and pinpointed the exact spot in the brain that was causing the seizures. Then, using what Jorge Gonzalez-Martinez, MD, PhD, a neurosurgeon in Cleveland Clinic’s Epilepsy Center, calls a special type of “GPS”, a tiny laser probe was inserted into the problematic area.

“We produce a lesion that’s caused by the heating of the tissue around this laser,” said Dr. Gonzalez-Martinez. “We’re talking about a small lesion caused by this laser probe, maybe one cubic centimeter, very small, but very well precise in place.”

Once doctors felt the area causing the seizures was completely burned away, they removed the probe and closed the incision with one stitch.

Dr. Gonzalez-Martinez said most people are advised to rest for one week and then can return to school or other regular activities.

May hasn’t had a seizure since his surgery and he’s wasted little time taking advantage of his new freedom.

“I’ve been riding the motorcycle a lot,” said May. “Looking forward to actually joining the Marine Corps now that I’m able to, hanging out with friends, going out and doing a lot of things I couldn’t do before.”

According to Dr. Gonzalez-Martinez, people may want to consider laser therapy if they have focal epilepsy and haven’t had success controlling their seizures with medicine.

About Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. Cleveland Clinic is consistently recognized in the U.S. and throughout the world for its expertise and care. Among Cleveland Clinic’s 81,000 employees worldwide are more than 5,743 salaried physicians and researchers, and 20,160 registered nurses and advanced practice providers, representing 140 medical specialties and subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic is a 6,690-bed health system that includes a 173-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, 23 hospitals, 276 outpatient facilities, including locations in northeast Ohio; Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and London, England. In 2023, there were 13.7 million outpatient encounters, 323,000 hospital admissions and observations, and 301,000 surgeries and procedures throughout Cleveland Clinic’s health system. Patients came for treatment from every state and 132 countries. Visit us at clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at twitter.com/CleClinicNews. News and resources available at newsroom.clevelandclinic.org.

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