Drug-resistant epilepsy

Epilepsy is one of the most common diseases of the nervous system, characterized by repeated relatively stereotypical seizures. The incidence of epilepsy is on average 5-10%. Epileptic seizures are caused by pathological discharges in the brain and are manifested by a temporary disorder of motor, sensory, vegetative or mental functions.

Drug treatment of epilepsy is effective in 70-80% of patients. The remaining 20-30% of cases have the so-called drug-resistant form of epilepsy, that is, a form of the disease in which the severity and frequency of attacks, neurological and mental symptoms, and side effects of drugs cannot be satisfactorily corrected for the patient and (or) his relatives. In such cases, patients have a low quality of life, increased morbidity and mortality. According to the cause of occurrence, epilepsy is classified as "symptomatic" (when a structural defect of the brain can be detected, for example, a cyst, tumor, hemorrhage, developmental defects), idiopathic (when there is a hereditary predisposition and structural changes in the brain are absent) and cryptogenic (when the cause of the disease cannot be identified).

Symptoms

Manifestations of epileptic seizures vary from generalized convulsions to changes in the patient's internal state that are barely noticeable to others. There are focal seizures associated with the occurrence of an electrical discharge in a certain limited area of ​​the cerebral cortex and generalized seizures, in which both hemispheres of the brain are simultaneously involved in the discharge. With focal seizures, convulsions or peculiar sensations (for example, numbness) in certain parts of the body (face, arms, legs, etc.) can be observed. Focal seizures can also manifest themselves as short attacks of visual, auditory, olfactory or gustatory hallucinations. Consciousness during these attacks may be preserved, in which case the patient describes his sensations in detail. The duration of partial attacks is usually no more than 30 seconds.