What is The Success Rate of Epilepsy Surgery

Epilepsy is a neurological condition that affects over 50 million people around the globe. The condition is marked by recurrent seizures that can be defined as brief incidents of involuntary movements. Primarily, the patients are given antiseizure medications for controlling the seizures. However, there are other treatment options for epilepsy as well. Let’s discuss how successful are epilepsy treatments.

The Success Rate of Different Epilepsy Treatments

According to WHO, around 70% of people with epilepsy could become free from seizures if they take their anti-seizure medications appropriately. These medicines can be discontinued if you haven’t had a seizure in around 2 years. However, this will also depend on several personal, social and clinical factors. Sometimes the neurologist may also recommend surgery for treating epilepsy. The success rate of epilepsy surgery depends on the type of surgery, the age, and the overall health of the patient. Studies in the US have shown that 2 years after undergoing epilepsy surgery, about 87-90% of patients were free from seizures. If you don’t have any seizures in the next 2 years after your epilepsy surgery, the possibility of being seizure-free for the next 5 years increases to 95%, and after 10 years it is 82%. In countries like India where you can avail both affordable and high-quality treatment, the success rate for epilepsy treatment is around 80%. Out of this, 60% of patients became free from seizures owing to anti-seizure drugs. A similar success rate of approximately 80% is also found in Turkey which offers access to renowned neurologists for providing effective epilepsy treatments. In addition to surgery and medicines, adopting a ketogenic diet has also emerged as a promising approach for treating epilepsy. Ina round 40-50% of children, the ketogenic diet help in reducing the frequency of seizures by 50%. Additionally, about 10-20% of children had a 90% reduction in their seizures.