Aster Whitefield Hospital's Comprehensive Epilepsy Care aims to provide holistic care, employing cutting-edge technologies and a multidisciplinary approach to improve the lives of individuals affected by epilepsy. The program is dedicated to offering specialized attention and tailored treatment strategies to individuals affected by epilepsy. A team of renowned epileptologists, functional neurosurgeons, and healthcare professionals collaborate seamlessly to offer personalized care and innovative solutions.
The program prioritizes patient comfort, safety, and successful outcomes throughout the patient's journey. It integrates advanced diagnostics, precise surgical interventions, and comprehensive follow-up care. The program strives to enhance the quality of life for each patient through individualized treatment plans and ongoing support. Visit us to explore our range of specialized facilities, each designed to provide accurate diagnoses, targeted interventions, and ongoing support for patients affected by epilepsy.
Epilepsy, the fourth most common neurological disorder, affects people of all ages and can cause unprovoked seizures. A seizure is a condition in which sudden, uncontrolled electrical irregularity occurs in the brain. It may cause changes in behaviour, movements, feelings, and levels of consciousness. Patients who have two or more seizures or a single episode of seizure with tendency to have recurrent seizures are considered to have epilepsy. 
Epilepsy affects 50 million people worldwide and 80% of them live in the developing world. More than 70% of patients who are treated with anti-seizure medications (ASM) achieve long-term remission or freedom from seizures. The rest 30% may become refractory to ASMs and other forms of medical treatment, hence become suitable candidates to be investigated for the possibility of epilepsy surgery.

Treatment Options

Various treatments are available to effectively manage symptoms and improve quality of life. The common treatment options include:

• Anti-seizure medications (ASMs): These are the most used treatments, and they work by regulating brain activity. 
• Surgery: This option is considered for people with epilepsy that do not respond to medications. It involves removing the part of the brain causing seizures. 
• Neurostimulation: This involves implanting a device to stimulate specific areas of the brain, which can help reduce seizure frequency. Examples of neurostimulation treatments include vagus nerve stimulation and deep brain stimulation.
• Ketogenic Diet: This high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet can be effective in children with epilepsy. It works by altering brain chemistry and requires strict adherence.

Diagnosis

Our advanced diagnostic testing facilities for epilepsy includes:

• Routine 32-channel digital video EEG
• Round-the-clock, long-term 128-channel video EEG monitoring
• Functional MRI and WADA study to assess eloquent cortex regions
• 3 Tesla MRI
• PET (Positron Emission Tomography)
• SPECT (Single-Photon Emission Computerized Tomography)
• ECOG (Electrocorticography)
• Cortical Mapping
• SSEP (Somatosensory Evoked Potential)
• MEP (Motor Evoked Potential)

Surgery for Epilepsy

Surgery for epilepsy is considered for individuals who do not respond to anti-seizure medications. It involves removing or altering the part of the brain causing seizures. There are several types of epilepsy surgery:

• Resective surgery: This involves removing the part of the brain causing seizures.
• Disconnective surgery: This involves cutting the connections between the part of the brain causing seizures and other parts of the brain.
• Corpus callosotomy: This involves cutting the corpus callosum, which is the bundle of nerve fibres connecting the two hemispheres of the brain.
• Neurostimulation for Epilepsy: Neurostimulation involves implanting a device to stimulate specific areas of the brain and can help reduce seizure frequency. There are different types of neurostimulation:

1. Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS): A device is implanted in the chest and sends electrical signals to the vagus nerve, which is a long nerve that runs from the brain to the abdomen.
2. Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS): Electrodes are implanted in specific areas of the brain and deliver electrical stimulation
3. Responsive Neuro Stimulation (RNS): A device is implanted in the brain to monitor brain activity and deliver electrical stimulation when a seizure is about to start.

Epilepsy Prevention and Integrated Care Program

Aster Whitefield Hospital, Bengaluru, in collaboration with Rotary Bangalore IT Corridor, Rotary Kolar Central, and the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Karnataka, successfully launched the EPIC (Epilepsy Prevention and Integrated Care) program. This groundbreaking initiative aims to reach and support individuals suffering from epilepsy through early detection and effective disease management. The program particularly focuses on lower to middle socio-economic groups where awareness and access to proper diagnosis and treatment are often limited.

While large-scale epidemiological studies in India are still not available, an extrapolation of data suggests that our country would have about 1 million people suffering from epilepsy and would have at any given point of time 200,000 patients who would benefit from surgery (about 20,000 new surgical candidates being added every year). This obviously places an immense responsibility on the neurosurgeons from India to develop comprehensive facilities which would cater to epilepsy surgery.

The EPIC program aims to bridge the enormous treatment gap for refractory epilepsy patients by conducting Refractory Epilepsy Clinics in various districts in Karnataka and other parts of India. We are planning to set-up facilities for video EEG and tele-monitoring in these clinics, so that patients who will benefit from Epilepsy surgery are identified early and undergo Epilepsy surgery in a cost-effective manner while delivering on our brand promise, “We’ll Treat You Well”

Choose Aster Whitefield Hospital for Epilepsy Care Our commitment to excellence, coupled with our advanced facilities and compassionate care, makes us the preferred choice for epilepsy treatment in Bangalore.