Jaipur, April 3: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences Jodhpur has achieved a significant medical milestone by successfully curing four children suffering from “laughing epilepsy,” a rare and drug-resistant form of epilepsy.
Major milestone in specialised epilepsy treatment
With this achievement, AIIMS Jodhpur becomes the only hospital in Rajasthan and the second AIIMS after Delhi in the country to offer this highly specialised treatment.
Children suffered frequent seizures
Associate Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery, Dr. Mohit Agrawal, said that the children were experiencing as many as 10 to 20 seizure episodes daily, severely affecting their quality of life.
The children were suffering from hypothalamic hamartoma, causing gelastic seizures, commonly known as “laughing epilepsy.” This rare and drug-resistant form of epilepsy cannot be controlled with medication, making surgical intervention critical for patient care.
Minimally invasive surgery performed
“With the team, we performed minimally invasive stereotactic radiofrequency ablation surgeries, a highly advanced computer-guided stereotactic frame-based technique. We precisely targeted and ablated the seizure-causing lesion located deep within the brain through a small incision of approximately one inch, thereby avoiding the need for major open brain surgery,” said the doctor.
Patients recover without complications
He said that all four patients responded remarkably well to the procedure, with no reported complications. They were safely discharged within 48 hours and are now seizure-free, demonstrating the effectiveness and safety of this advanced, minimally invasive approach.
Institute expands neurosurgical care
Executive Director of AIIMS Jodhpur, Dr. Gorvardhan Dutt Puri, congratulated the surgical team and emphasised that the institute is continually expanding its neurosurgical services to deliver advanced care to patients.
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AIIMS Jodhpur has been running a Comprehensive Epilepsy Surgery Programme since 2019, under which more than 100 epilepsy surgeries have been successfully performed free of cost under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, ensuring access to advanced care for patients across the region.
