Breakthrough Epilepsy Surgery Offers Hope for Patients

Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem has become the first hospital in Israel to perform a revolutionary epilepsy surgery. This pioneering procedure using a responsive neurostimulation (RNS) device offers new hope for patients battling severe, uncontrolled seizures.

The high-precision RNS medical device works by continuously monitoring the brain's electrical activity, and when it detects abnormal or suspicious patterns, it sends small electrical pulses to stop a seizure before it can occur.

"The RNS device is completely personalized. It’s tailored specifically to the patient's brain, making it a truly precise treatment,” explained Dr. Dana Ekstein, head of the Neurology Department and Comprehensive Epilepsy Center. “It’s as if the device learns the patient’s unique seizure triggers and works to prevent them."

The breakthrough surgery, performed by Dr. Sami Hayman of the Neurosurgery Department and Dr. Zvi Israel, head of neurosurgery, along with anesthesiologist Dr. Zaid Abu Armila, involved implanting the RNS device in the identified epileptic focus of the brain.

Dr. Ekstein shared that the team was thrilled with the success of the surgery: "The surgery went as planned and was successful. The device will be activated soon, and we expect the patient’s condition to significantly improve.”

The Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at Hadassah Ein Kerem is the only place in Israel equipped to program RNS devices. The center also collaborates with international specialists, including Dr. Dawn S. Eliashiv from the UCLA Seizure Disorders Center, whose patients in the US have experienced up to an 82 percent reduction in seizures and fewer instances of sudden death caused by epilepsy.

The RNS device is a milestone in the treatment of epilepsy, and was only available in the United States and Canada until now. But thanks to the advanced clinical expertise at Hadassah Ein Kerem, acute epilepsy sufferers in Israel now have new hope for the future.