For the first time in the world, Vagus Nerve Stimulators (VNS) have been successfully implanted in two female patients to treat chronic epilepsy.
Both surgeries were conducted by Dr Asif Bashir at the Bashir NeuroSpine Institute last Thursday night. Both female patients were in good condition after 3 to 4 hours of surgery and were discharged from the hospital.
Maryum, who is the patient, is seven years old and belongs to Peshawar, while Aneesha Naresh, the other 18-year-old, is from Karachi. Both patients suffered from chronic epilepsy, which is called refractory epilepsy or drug-resistant epilepsy.
He said that this therapy has been used worldwide to treat focal or partial seizures that do not respond to seizure medications, but this treatment was not previously available here in Pakistan. He added that the seizure ratio in patients decreased to 50 percent after VNS treatment or would stop entirely.
