Epileptic seizures stopped after part of brain removed. Details of trailblazing surgery in UK

In a ground-breaking surgery, doctors removed a piece of his brain and a 17-year-old Scottish teenager with a history of epilepsy is no longer having seizures. Earlier, Angus Bain endured seizure attacks at least once a week for most of his life. Doctors have expressed hope that he will be free of the debilitating condition after he became one of the first patients in the UK to have the new laser surgery. In the trailblazing surgery, the doctors have removed the brain tissue that causes seizures. For the first time in 13 years, Angus has not had a single incident in ten weeks.

"Epilepsy since Angus was 5"

Talking to the SWNS, Angus Bain's mother Nicki Bain said, "Our lives have been consumed with Angus' epilepsy since he was 5." She added, "He has been on lots of very heavy medication, had wires in his head, brain stimulation, so many tests and scans."


Angus underwent the pathbreaking surgery at the Edinburgh Children’s Hospital in October. Known as MRI-guided Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT), it is minimally invasive. It takes just under two hours with a relatively short recovery time.

MRI-guided Laser surgery

Dr. Jothy Kandasamy, consultant neurosurgeon at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People, told the SWNS, "The laser surgery is a fantastic development for specific patients and will give some with epilepsy a real chance to live a normal life."

Roslyn Neely, CEO of Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity, said that she was "encouraged by the life-changing impact that the laser surgery has had for Angus."

Angus Bain told BBC Scotland News, "I wish I could go to parties with my friends. I see photos of all my friends together and I am jealous that I can’t go but they can."

FAQs:

What kind of surgery has Angus Bain undergone?
In the trailblazing surgery, the doctors have removed the brain tissue that causes seizures. Known as MRI-guided Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT), it is minimally invasive.

What have the doctors said after the surgery?
Dr. Jothy Kandasamy, consultant neurosurgeon at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People said that laser surgery is a fantastic development for specific patients and it will give some with epilepsy a real chance to live a normal life.