Endoscopic Surgery Shows Promise for Treating Pediatric Brain Tumors
Source: World neurosurgery
Summary
Researchers studied the effectiveness of a specific type of surgery called intraventricular endoscopic surgery for children with hypothalamic hamartomas (HH), which are brain growths that can cause epilepsy. They looked at 15 pediatric patients who underwent surgery between 2016 and 2023 and reviewed other studies to gather more information about outcomes and complications related to this treatment.
The key findings showed that 40% of the children became seizure-free after the surgery, while 60% experienced better control of their seizures. The majority of the surgeries used a method called thulium-laser disconnection, and no serious long-term complications were reported. In a larger analysis that included 302 patients from various studies, about half achieved the best outcome for seizure control, and most had some improvement.
This research is important because it suggests that endoscopic surgery can be a safe and effective option for treating epilepsy in children caused by hypothalamic hamartomas. However, the study also notes that more extensive research is needed to confirm these findings and better understand the long-term effects of the thulium-laser technique.
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