Karachi\/Lahore
\nEpilepsy surgery is an effective treatment for drug-resistant patients, said Prof Dr Fowzia Siddiqui, President Epilepsy Foundation Pakistan and neurologist, Epileptologist at Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi.
\nShe was addressing the Scientific Program of the first international Pinscon 2025 Conference here, where she presented her paper on \u2018Epilepsy Surgery: Patient and Procedure Selection and Outcomes\u2019.
\nShe said the epilepsy surgery is an effective treatment for patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy who fail to respond to at least two appropriate anti-seizure medications. The objective is to remove or modify the brain region where seizures originate while preserving essential neurological function. She said careful patient selection through a multidisciplinary team\u2014comprising Epileptologists, neurosurgeons, and neuropsychologists\u2014is crucial. Ideal candidates have focal, localizable seizures arising from non-eloquent cortex and realistic expectations regarding surgical risks and benefits. Comprehensive presurgical evaluation includes prolonged video-EEG monitoring, high-resolution MRI, and functional imaging (PET, SPECT, or fMRI).
\nShe said invasive monitoring with stereo-EEG or a subdural electrode is used when non-invasive methods are inconclusive. Resective procedures, such as anterior temporal lobectomy, lesionectomy, or extratemporal resections, offer the highest chance of seizure freedom, while disconnection (corpus callosotomy, subpial transection) and neuromodulation techniques (VNS, RNS, LITT) serve as palliative, adjunctive or minimally invasive options for those that are not resectable.
\nDr Fowzia said outcomes depend on epilepsy type, lesion localization, and surgical completeness. Temporal lobe resections yield seizure freedom in up to 70\u201380% of suitable patients, whereas extra-temporal procedures achieve lower rates. She said early evaluation and intervention improve seizure control, cognitive outcomes, and overall quality of life.
\nShe said basically the treatment of epilepsy is carried out through medications and surgery. She said the surgical treatment is successful to a great extent.
\nShe said she has the honor to introduce the surgical treatment of epilepsy in Pakistan. She said by the grace of Allah, the Almighty many successful surgeries have already been conducted.
\nDr Fowzia said she wants to introduce this surgical treatment also outside Karachi for which they are starting a training program. Other speakers included Prof Muhammad Nadeem Kasuri, Prof Ahsan Nauman, Prof Mujeeb Ur Rahman Abid Butt, Prof Qasim Bashir, Prof Brig Imran Ahmed, Prof Naila Naeem Shahbaz, Prof Athar Jawed and others.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Karachi\/Lahore Epilepsy surgery is an effective treatment for drug-resistant patients, said Prof Dr Fowzia Siddiqui, President Epilepsy Foundation Pakistan and neurologist, Epileptologist at Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi. She was addressing the Scientific Program of the first international Pinscon 2025 Conference here, where she presented her paper on \u2018Epilepsy Surgery: Patient and Procedure Selection and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-509834","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-peshawar"},"yoast_head":"\n