Brain surgery: A successful treatment alternative for epilepsy patients

Epilepsy can be cured. For the nearly 45,000 people in Wisconsin who suffer from this sometimes debilitating disorder, more than half can become seizure-free with medication or other non-surgical treatment options. And for the remainder, there is hope. Surgery, often thought of as a last resort, in many cases can be a strong early line of defense in helping an epilepsy patient become seizure-free.

According to George Morris, MD, director of the Regional Epilepsy Center at St. Luke’s Medical Center, surgery can produce remarkable outcomes. “Surgery is typically successful,” he states, “how-ever, there is a huge fear factor that comes into play when people hear ‘brain surgery.’ Many misconceptions arise, even among some physicians. One of my goals as director of the Regional Epilepsy Center is to educate patients and physicians about the impressive results that more often than not accompany brain surgery as a cure for epilepsy.”

In fact, nearly 85 percent of epilepsy patients who undergo brain surgery become seizure-free, according to Dr. Morris. Mary Koceja of Milwaukee is one of those people. Diagnosed with epilepsy in 1975, she spent over 20 years battling this disease with medication after medication, doctor after doctor. “By the age of 34, I was using 21 pills a day and taking naps at work because I was so exhausted from the medications.” Then, in 1999, her physician referred her to Dr. Morris, who, upon examination, determined she was a candidate for brain surgery. Later that year, the surgery was performed.

“I would highly recommend surgery to anyone wishing to become seizure-free. I was back to normal within two months. Now three years later, I still maintain a healthy, normal and seizure-free life,” Koceja explains.

“I would estimate that today in Milwaukee there are nearly 5,000 people suffering from epilepsy that would be good candidates for surgery. If a patient has tried two or more medications without success, it is unlikely that further medication will produce seizure freedom. Those are the patients I evaluate to advance their treatment, and they may be surgery candidates,” explains Dr. Morris, who has supervised the medical care of over 250 epilepsy surgery candidates. “Epilepsy is a curable disease.”

If you have seizures, help is available. Please call the Regional Epilepsy Center at 414-385-8780.