RNS could be used to help those with medically refractory epilepsy
Thursday 10th November 2011
A new advance could provide relief for patients suffering with seizures that were previously untreatable.
Research published in Neurology has found that the NeuroPace Responsive Neurostimulation System (RNS) can offer relief to patients that are suffering with medically refractory epilepsy.
While the device has already received approval in the US for the treatment of Parkinson's disease and essential tremor, this is one of the first instances where responsive electric brain stimulation has been successfully used to deal with hard-to-treat epilepsy.
The system is a miniaturised, implanted computer that is placed on the surface of the brain and can detect seizures, delivering an electrical pulse in order to stop them.
Dr Jason Schwalb, director for movement disorders and behavioural neurosurgery at Henry Ford Health System, said that this could signify a major shift in how the condition is treated.
He said that in a third of the cases where people have tried multiple, ineffective medications but are still having seizures they will still typically undergo surgery to have part of their brain tissue removed.
Dr Schwalb claimed: "There are people who are not candidates for this type of surgery because of potential side effects. Until now, we have not had great treatment options. The RNS system is an attractive option for these patients, especially since it is reversible."
In the study, those who had the implant suffered 37.9 per cent fewer seizures compared to 17.3 per cent in a control group where the device was not activated.
There was no difference between these groups in the number of adverse side-effects associated with the treatment and the benefits led to significant improvements in the patients' quality of life.
Research published in last month's issue of Neurology found a link between premature birth and the risk of a patient developing epilepsy in later life, with study author Dr Casey Crump advising that more effective prevention techniques for pre-term births are needed.
Posted by Angela Newbury
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