Daily Trust

Surgery offers hope for children with childhood epilepsy – Expert

- By Ojoma Akor

Some children suffer from epilepsy, a neurologic­al condition that affects the brain and nervous system and causes repeated seizures, caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain.

According to Dr. Ibrahim Al Thobaiti of Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Hospital-Dubai, United Arab Emirates, some children experience symptoms of frequent epileptic attacks. He said sometimes the frequency of seizures could be more than 300 times a day, thus making the lives of the children difficult.

A news release from the hospital quoted Dr. Thobaiti as saying that the major noticeable symptom in an epileptic child is frequent seizures. “The uncontroll­able seizures is the major cause of concern for the parents,” he added.

Dr. Thobaiti, who is a fellow of the Canadian Board, Fellowship in Epilepsy Surgery, and also of EEG and Brain Mapping, Canada, said over the years, medical experts have evolved surgical techniques to reduce epileptic seizures in children to the barest minimum.

He said there are different types of epilepsy brain surgery, adding that the type depends on the type of seizures, and where the seizures begin in the brain.

“Surgery has improved the quality of living for these kids. The seizures have reduced considerab­ly. The latest of generation technology used in Dr Sulaiman Al Habib Hospital healthcare city has helped me to perform these surgeries with success stories.

“In addition to endorsing the highest medical design standards, the hospital fits out with cuttingedg­e technology to offer high standard services across multiple specialtie­s; it also offers the latest in robotic surgery technology into operating room quarters and a state-ofthe-art Cath-Lab,” he added.

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