Newswise NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. - Doctors at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School are the first in the tri-state region - and only the seventh nationally - to use laser ablation, a revolutionary, minimally invasive laser technology that utilizes light energy, to treat epilepsy.

Doctors successfully performed the first procedure in December 2011 on a 61-year-old man who had been suffering from epileptic seizures since childhood. The patient has been seizure-free since that time.

During the procedure, a team led by Shabbar Danish, M.D., Director, Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery and Assistant Professor of Surgery at UMDNJ-RWJMS, delivered laser energy through a 1/8 inch hole in the patient's skull to target the area of the brain that is responsible for causing the seizures. As light is delivered through the catheter-directed laser probe, temperatures in the targeted area begin to rise, gradually destroying the unwanted tissue in the frontal lobe portion of the brain, leaving the surrounding areas untouched.

The entry hole through the skull is about the size of the end of a pen and requires just one stitch and a small bandage following the procedure. Only local anesthesia is used. The patient returned home one day after the procedure and remains seizure free. Doctors will continue to monitor his progress over the next several months to determine if the procedure has permanently cured his seizures.

"Because laser ablation is a much less invasive approach than traditional surgery to treat epilepsy, it reduces the risk for many post-surgical complications such as infections, bleeding, speech difficulties and vision problems," Dr. Danish notes. "The recovery time is much shorter and in these cases, the patients returned home within one to two days."

According to Stephen Wong, M.D., an Assistant Professor of Neurology at UMDNJ-RWJMS and RWJUH who specializes in epilepsy and neurophysiology, the technology is an effective surgical alternative that provides new hope for epileptic patients whose seizures cannot be controlled with medications.

"As our first patient's seizures became more severe and frequent, he began to suffer from seizure-related psychotic episodes, which led to antipsychotic drugs and further medication-related side effects," Dr. Wong explains. "Due to his multiple medical complications, he was a poor candidate for the standard surgical resection. Without the laser procedure, the patient's quality of life and independence would continue to diminish over time."

Dr. Wong estimates that three million people suffer from epilepsy in the United States. Of that number, there are approximately 300,000 individuals who may require surgery to treat their seizures and who could potentially benefit from laser ablation.

A second procedure was successfully performed in February on a 27-year-old woman who also experienced epileptic seizures since childhood. She has been seizure-free for about one month.

Produced by Visualase, laser ablation is the latest addition to RWJUH and UMDNJ-RWJMS' growing expertise and capabilities in the division of neuroscience. The Neuroscience Department is dedicated to the research and treatment of a wide range of neurological disorders.

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RWJUH, UMDNJ-RWJMS Doctors First in Tri-State to Treat Epilepsy with Laser Technology