Patient's question:
My child is now 12 and a half months old. The baby was born more than 20 days ago, and around the 30th day, there were four instances of lip-smacking, head tilting backward, turning to the right, and squinting. At seven and a half months, there was lip movement, and each time it was a single expression, occurring 20 to 30 times a day, with poor mental state.After the local doctor's recommendation, an electroencephalogram (EEG) and brain CT were conducted. The diagnosis was confirmed as secondary epilepsy caused by brain developmental delay.
After the diagnosis, the child started taking Depakine 3ml, twice a day. The seizure intervals then lengthened, and during episodes, the child was in a good mental state, responsive to calls, and continued playing.
Over the past one and a half months, the seizure expressions have become more exaggerated, with clenched fists as if great effort is being exerted. Fearing insufficient medication dosage, blood concentration tests were done, and all results were within normal range.
Recently, the seizure intervals have shortened, and the expressions are exaggerated, but the mental state remains good. However, the child has a cold and cough.
Doctor's answer:
Hello, according to your description, the child suffers from secondary epilepsy caused by poor brain development, and the medication has not effectively controlled the epilepsy. The first consideration is surgical treatment, which can earlier reduce the extent of brain damage caused by epilepsy in the child. Medication only controls symptoms, while surgery is theoretically the only method that can (cure). However, not all patients are suitable for surgical treatment. Only 10-20% of patients can achieve satisfactory results through surgery. Therefore, a strict and cautious preoperative evaluation is necessary to determine whether surgical treatment can be implemented. First, an MRI of epilepsy the sequence is required, and second, an electroencephalogram with a (sphenoid electrode) is needed to locate the focus. Once the focus is identified, if it is relatively localized and located in a functional blind spot of the brain, surgical (cure) can be considered.