Patient's question:
Female, 6 years old. She developed infantile spasms and then epilepsy after two months. At the age of six, she still does not know how to control her bowel and bladder. She needs to take Tegretol every day. I would like to know about the condition where infantile spasms develop into epilepsy, characterized by convulsions, staring eyes, and clenched fists, usually lasting no more than a minute.Doctor's answer:
Children's treatment requires attention to the effects of antiepileptic drugs on bones, intelligence, liver and kidney function, as it is necessary to avoid early closure of growth plates, leading to dwarfism, and other adverse reactions such as intellectual disability. Epilepsy in adolescents is also increasingly common. The country has attached great importance to this, investing significant effort in the treatment and technological research and development of epilepsy. Currently, most mature technologies have been implemented in specialized hospitals in Shanghai.The National Epilepsy Patient Rehabilitation Project was launched earlier this year in 2012. It is worth mentioning that instrument-based treatment can be used to avoid the drawbacks of drug therapy. Long-term use of antiepileptic drugs can cause significant damage to patients' bodies. This technology has also been promoted.
PD-X Epilepsy Targeted Localization and Penetration Technology: This technology primarily consists of a pulse generator, spiral vagus nerve electrodes, and a controllable programmable regulator. The stimulating electrode is placed on the left vagus nerve trunk, connected to the pulse generator via a subcutaneous tunnel. It allows for adjustable and modifiable parameters such as stimulation frequency, intensity, and duration.
It has changed the traditional treatment models of focal resection and conduction pathway destruction, offering a reversible, wireless, and externally programmable treatment method. It has played a positive role in treating refractory epilepsy that cannot be controlled by drugs or surgically removed.
In the Shanghai region alone, over 70,000 patients have been rehabilitated. It has become the preferred treatment option for epilepsy today. It is also recommended that patients seek early treatment and rehabilitation to avoid missing the best opportunity for treatment.