What are the risks of brain surgery for epilepsy?
Possible risks of this type of surgery include problems with memory, a partial loss of sight, depression or other mood problems. These risks will vary from person to person, and may be only temporary in some cases. For some people, their memory and mood could improve after epilepsy surgery.
Can anesthesia trigger seizures?
Even “nonconvulsant” anesthetic drugs occasionally cause seizures in subjects with preexisting epilepsy. These seizures most commonly occur during induction or emergence from anesthesia, when the anesthetic drug concentration is relatively low.
Does anesthesia lower seizure threshold?
One of the explanations of the neurotoxic effects of local anaesthetics is their ability to rapidly cross the blood-brain barrier [41] and decrease seizure threshold in the hippocampus, cerebral cortex and amygdala, predisposing the patient to seizures.
Can you have surgery if you have seizures?
Epilepsy surgery is a procedure that removes an area of the brain where seizures occur. Epilepsy surgery is most effective when seizures always occur in a single location in the brain.
What happens in brain surgery for epilepsy?
Types of epilepsy surgery Resective surgery, the most common epilepsy surgery, is the removal of a small portion of the brain. The surgeon cuts out brain tissues in the area of the brain where seizures occur, usually the site of a tumor, brain injury or malformation.
What happens if someone has a seizure during surgery?
Intraoperative seizures may evoke patient movement during surgery, interfere with airway patency and ventilation, induce cerebral and systemic acidosis, increase intracranial pressure, and cause cerebral edema [2]. In severe cases, status epilepticus (SE) may develop [2].
Can epileptics have brain surgery?
Can general anesthesia cause seizures?
There is little risk of seizures during general anesthesia because anesthetic agents inhibit the firing of neurons, although the anesthetic sevoflurane can rarely precipitate seizures. There is generally no increased risk of seizures upon awakening from anesthesia if AEDs have been taken.
Is there a role for anesthesia in the treatment of epilepsy?
Background and objectives: Epilepsy is one of the most frequent chronic neurological diseases. Although anesthesia for epilepsy patients is more common in neurosurgery, this group of patients needs, just as the general population, anesthesia for different diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.
When do seizures occur during surgery?
Seizures may occur in close relation to surgical procedures or use of anesthetic agents in several situations: Interruption of treatment with antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) may result from orders to be non per os before anesthesia.
What is epilepsy surgery?
Epilepsy surgery is a neurosurgical procedure to prevent or reduce the occurrence of epileptic seizures. Epilepsy surgery involves removal or surgical alteration of the part of the brain which is the focal point for onset of seizures.