Can you imagine having to live with going
through up to 40 seizures in one day due to a brain condition known as hemimegalencephaly or megalencephaly, in
which one hemisphere of the brain grows larger than the other? Children with
this condition may have a larger head than average and sometimes asymmetrical. Malformations of cortical development (known
sometimes as cortical dysplasias) occur during the development of the brain
when neurons do not migrate and organize themselves normally. This can lead to
intractable epilepsy. Because seizures may be difficult to control with
anticonvulsant medicine or other therapies, surgery is often the most
successful treatment to control the seizures. There are several different
surgical treatment options considered, including focal resections and in some
cases when these children are severely mentally challenged they may require a
procedure called hemispherectomy,
which is an extremely rare surgery where half of the brain is completely
removed or disabled. If the affected side of the brain is surgically removed,
the remaining healthy side of the brain may gradually take over the functions
whose control has been lost. The ability for one area of the brain to take over
the function of others is known as "plasticity" - the brain’s ability
to change throughout life. I have added a video here that may help understand
how the remaining healthy brain will recover and in a sense accommodate for the
other missing part.
Depending on what half of the brain hemisphere is
removed will determine the type of life a person can live since they each have
different functions.
San Juanita, I have to say that I really found your post to be a great addition to the information in the text. The video was also extremely helpful in understanding what actually takes place when a hemispherectomy is performed. I have a cousin who suffered the majority of her childhood from epilepsy and although medication helped her lead a relatively normal life it is reassuring to know someone who has no other alternative other than surgery, also has a positive outcome in leading a normal life, free of epilepsy.
I can't imagine to be one of those children having to fight my body from convulsing. Its hard to deal with this type of condition. Thankfully we now have therapy and different types of procedures that can be done to reduce the amount of epileptic attacks people with this type of brain conditions go through. And the video you included is just an amazing addition to your point. This procedure that allowed for this young girl to have her epilepsy reduced/removed by removing one of her hemispheres is amazing. This surgery allowed her to be able to live a normal life free of seizures. Thank you!
Reading your article, I am immediately reminded of Grey's Anatomy. I know its trite but that was the first time I had ever heard of a hemispherectomy. In fact, I remember watching a 20/20 documentary about a freshman in college who had had to have half her brain removed and the challenges she had faced with walking and controlling the semi-paralyzed portions of her body. Your video was very informative, pointing out a single case which gave greater insight into the proceedure you were talking about. Your links were also very concise and clear, all together a very well written article with supporting information.
I cannot imagine going through life with seizures. I used to have a dog that would have random seizures and it left me feeling so helpless every time. (I wonder if there is corpus callosum surgery for pets :P) I honestly had never heard of a hemispherectomy before reading this blog post and I thank you for introducing me to new information (Can't have enough learning!). It's crazy to think that whichever hemisphere you are left with determines what kind of person you are and basically the quality of life you will have. Anyways, great post as always! (:
San Juanita,
ReplyDeleteI have to say that I really found your post to be a great addition to the information in the text. The video was also extremely helpful in understanding what actually takes place when a hemispherectomy is performed. I have a cousin who suffered the majority of her childhood from epilepsy and although medication helped her lead a relatively normal life it is reassuring to know someone who has no other alternative other than surgery, also has a positive outcome in leading a normal life, free of epilepsy.
San Juanita,
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine to be one of those children having to fight my body from convulsing. Its hard to deal with this type of condition. Thankfully we now have therapy and different types of procedures that can be done to reduce the amount of epileptic attacks people with this type of brain conditions go through. And the video you included is just an amazing addition to your point. This procedure that allowed for this young girl to have her epilepsy reduced/removed by removing one of her hemispheres is amazing. This surgery allowed her to be able to live a normal life free of seizures. Thank you!
SanJuanita,
ReplyDeleteReading your article, I am immediately reminded of Grey's Anatomy. I know its trite but that was the first time I had ever heard of a hemispherectomy. In fact, I remember watching a 20/20 documentary about a freshman in college who had had to have half her brain removed and the challenges she had faced with walking and controlling the semi-paralyzed portions of her body. Your video was very informative, pointing out a single case which gave greater insight into the proceedure you were talking about. Your links were also very concise and clear, all together a very well written article with supporting information.
San Juanita,
ReplyDeleteI cannot imagine going through life with seizures. I used to have a dog that would have random seizures and it left me feeling so helpless every time. (I wonder if there is corpus callosum surgery for pets :P) I honestly had never heard of a hemispherectomy before reading this blog post and I thank you for introducing me to new information (Can't have enough learning!). It's crazy to think that whichever hemisphere you are left with determines what kind of person you are and basically the quality of life you will have. Anyways, great post as always! (: