PALERMO (ITALPRESS) – A new treatment for epilepsy resistant to drugs at the Policlinico “Paolo Giaccone” in Palermo. It is an epicranic stimulator implanted, for the first time in South Italy and the second at national level, at the complex operating unit of Neurosurgery of the University Hospital. The intervention, perfectly successful, was performed on a 64-year-old patient, discharged after two days of death. “The drug-resistant epilepsy – explains Professor Domenico Iacopino, Director of the Operational Unit of Neurosurgery of AOUP – is a clinical condition with a high impact on the quality of life. The techniques of neuromodulation today allow to intervene more and more focused on pathological circuits, offering new therapeutic perspectives.” In extreme synthesis, the implanted device under the skin sends electrical impulses to the brain to reduce the frequency and intensity of the seizures and, in some cases, eliminate them. The intervention represents a significant advancement in neuro-modulation techniques applied to functional neurosurgery and is the result of a close and qualified multidisciplinary collaboration between the Neurosurgical and Neurology operational unit directed by Professor Angelo Labate, with the decisive support of Neuroradiology and Anestesiology. An integration of skills, therefore, which is a fundamental element in the management of the more complex forms of epilepsy. “ This case – says Professor Labate – testifies to the value of the collaboration between different disciplines in the integrated management of the complex epileptic patient with the hope of an imminent recognition of a Regional Center for the diagnosis and care of epilepsy”. The Director General of the AOUP Maria Grazia Furnari comments: “The fact that such an innovative intervention is performed for the first time in South Italy, and as a second case throughout the country, confirms the ability of our Polyclinic to offer high-specialization performance. This experience fits into a broader path of development of functional neurosurgery and neuro-modulation techniques promoted by the Polyclinic “Paolo Giaccone” and the University of Palermo, with the aim of guaranteeing patients of the territory access to highly innovative treatments. This means giving Sicilian citizens the opportunity to access better care without being forced to move out of the region, effectively countering the phenomenon of health migration”. The Rector of the University of Palermo Massimo Midiri concludes: “The University of Palermo continues to support and promote clinical innovation and translational research, encouraging integration between welfare, teaching and scientific activities.”.
– Photos: Press Office Policlinico Palermo (ITALPRESS).
