Robotic surgery first in Wales for epilepsy sufferer
A WOMAN with epilepsy has become the first person in Wales to undergo pioneering robotic surgery to ease her condition.
A robot was used to implant probes into Denise Casey’s brain to treat her epilepsy, which has caused her to have as many as six fits daily for the past 20 years.
After the landmark procedure last month – which would have taken more than four hours in ordinary conditions but took just 55 minutes using the robotic arm – Mrs Casey has not had any fits and said her life has “improved 100%”.
The robot, which was built in Rhondda Cynon Taff by Renishaw, allows surgeons to operate on epilepsy patients who would previously have been untreatable.
Mrs Casey, from Neath Port Talbot, told BBC Wales: “It’s been remarkable – they said it was a robot and you think of something like that in the films.
“I know it’s only been a couple of weeks, but so far it has been wonderful.”
Before the surgery Mrs Casey could not go out alone as a seizure would leave her disorientated.
Andrea Richards, directorate manager for neurosciences at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, said: “This is the first neurosurgical procedure to be carried out with robotic assistance in Wales.
“We are pleased that the collaboration between clinical services, the Brain Unit, and Renishaw has enabled a number of improvements to be made to patient care.
“Neurosurgical patients will now spend less time in the operating theatre, have a reduced risk of infection, and benefit from improved surgical outcomes.”
The robot assisted surgeon William Gray, professor of functional neurosurgery at Cardiff University’s School of Medicine, during the SEEG case – a procedure which uses intracerebral electrodes to measure electrical signals.
The aim of the surgery was to identify which region of the brain was acting as a source for epileptic seizures.
Prof Gray, who is also a director of the university’s Brain Repair and Intracranial Neurotherapeutics (Brain) Unit, said: “The Renishaw robot is a significant step forward for epilepsy surgery in Wales, enabling us to investigate and treat even the most complex cases, to achieve seizure freedom for our patients.
“In collaboration with the Brain Unit it will also enable us to perform leading research for measuring brain signals and delivering therapies directly into the brain, across many neurological diseases.”