Miraculous surgery relieves pain for 21-year-old epileptic

On January 16, Viet Duc Friendship Hospital announced the successful surgery that ended the 21-year journey of suffering from epileptic seizures of Mr. Tran Tien Dat (21 years old, Hanoi).

Associate Professor Dong Van He decided to perform surgery to help reduce 90% of the patient's seizures. (Photo: BVCC).

It is known that Dat was born by caesarean section, suffered from amniotic fluid suffocation, leading to brain damage and epilepsy from birth. The epileptic seizures followed him throughout his childhood and adulthood, becoming more frequent and severe. There were days when he had to endure 50 to 100 seizures, or lasting up to 2 hours. The constant trauma from not being able to control himself caused his head to become deformed. His life was only associated with hospitals and medicine.

The patient underwent a thorough examination and consultation with leading experts from abroad. The doctor's conclusion was that this is a difficult disease to cure completely, requiring the patient to learn to live with the disease for life.

Earlier this year, Dat was taken to Viet Duc Friendship Hospital by his father. There, Associate Professor, Dr. Dong Van He, Deputy Director of Viet Duc Friendship Hospital, received and examined him. After a thorough consultation, Associate Professor He decided to perform surgery to remove the entire corpus callosum, the part connecting the two hemispheres of the brain, to reduce epileptic seizures.

"This is a complicated case. In normal cases, we perform surgery when we determine the location of the epileptic focus such as hippocampal atrophy or dysplasia. However, this patient has epileptic focus spreading to both hemispheres, making medication ineffective. The corpus callosum surgery aims to prevent epileptic signals from spreading between the two hemispheres, helping to reduce seizures," Associate Professor He explained.

After the surgery, the results were beyond expectations. From an expected 50% reduction, the patient had a 90% reduction in seizures. Currently, Mr. Dat only has 3-4 seizures per day and is still receiving supportive medication.

Witnessing the dramatic change in his son after 21 years of suffering, Mr. Tran Van Toan (the patient's father) emotionally shared: "We have gone everywhere, but no place has helped my son improve. Now, he only has a few small attacks every day, it is truly a miracle."

The success of the surgery not only brought new hope to Mr. Dat but also opened up a new path for patients with severe epilepsy who do not respond to medication. Although it is not a complete cure, this is still a big step forward in alleviating symptoms and improving quality of life.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/ky-dieu-ca-phau-giai-thoat-don-dau-cho-chang-trai-21-nam-dong-kinh-19225011609000639.htm