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Epilepsy (seizures) (seizures) | Surgery in Germany . Hospital Prices, Ranking, Reviews - Bookinghealth

Epilepsy (seizures) (seizures) — Surgery: treatment in the Best Hospitals of Germany

➤Surgical treatment of epilepsy in Germany ★ Direct prices from the best hospitals in Germany $ We will help you save money on treatment ✔ Patient support 24/7

Treatment prices are regulated by national law of the corresponding countries, but can also include additional hospital coefficients. In order to receive the individual cost calculation, please send us the request and medical records.

Beta Clinic Bonn
Specialized hospital
Germany, Bonn

Beta Clinic Bonn

Overall rating 9.7 / 10

Department of Neurosurgery and Spinal Surgery

The Department of Neurosurgery and Spinal Surgery offers the full range of modern surgical procedures for patients with diseases of the brain, spinal cord, spine, and peripheral nervous system. The department has state-of-the-art equipment, including navigation systems, monitoring devices, surgical microscopes, intraoperative X-ray diagnostic systems, angiography systems, and laser equipment. In addition, a system for minimally invasive stereotactic interventions has been installed in the department's operating room. The department's neurosurgeons use the latest microsurgical and endoscopic techniques in their work. The medical facility is one of only three in Europe to successfully use the VISUALASE™ device for MRI-guided laser ablation to treat epilepsy. This minimally invasive procedure is highly effective and represents a real breakthrough in epilepsy surgery. The department's neurosurgeons always strive to provide the patient with optimal medical care. They talk in detail about each stage of treatment and are happy to answer the patient's questions. Neurologists and specialists in the field of neuroradiology are often involved in the therapeutic process, which guarantees a comprehensive approach to treatment.

Thomas Gasser
Prof. Dr. med.Thomas Gasser
Price: 38500.91
Epilepsy Center Bethel Bielefeld
Specialized hospital
Germany, Bielefeld

Epilepsy Center Bethel Bielefeld

Overall rating 9 / 10

Department of Adult and Pediatric Epileptology

The Department of Adult and Pediatric Epileptology offers the full range of modern diagnostics and treatment of all forms of epilepsy. The department annually admits more than 5,000 patients and ranks among the largest specialized medical facilities of this kind in Germany. It provides comprehensive medical care programs, including both the diagnostics and correction of drug therapy regimens, as well as the very latest techniques for the surgical treatment of epilepsy. The department also includes a Section for Rehabilitation, which offers various activities in the field of general and occupational rehabilitation. The department provides its high-quality services to patients of all age categories – adults, adolescents and children. The medical facility is certified by the German Society for Epileptology, so patients can be sure that they will receive the best medical care and will be able to maximally restore their health.

Christian Bien
Prof. Dr. med.Christian Bien
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Price: 33144.14
University Hospital Freiburg
Specialized hospital
Germany, Freibung

University Hospital Freiburg

Overall rating 9.7 / 10

Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery

The Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery offers the full range of surgical treatment of diseases of the brain, spine, spinal cord and nerves in adults and children. The department keeps pace with new trends in medicine, as well as contributes significantly to their development. Therefore, the most modern diagnostic and therapeutic methods are available here. An individual approach to each clinical case is crucial to ensure optimal treatment results with the preservation of all neurological functions.

Jürgen Beck
Prof. Dr. med.Jürgen Beck
Price: 38070.78
University Hospital Tuebingen
Specialized hospital
Germany, Tuebingen

University Hospital Tuebingen

Overall rating 9.2 / 10

Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery

The Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery offers the diagnostics and surgical treatment of all diseases of the nervous system. The department has the expert competence in the field of complex neurosurgical interventions and is one of the leading surgery centers for skull basis, pituitary, and peripheral nerve interventions. The department specializes in pediatric neurosurgery, vascular neurosurgery, surgery for brain tumors and complex interventions on the spinal cord.

Marcos Tatagiba
Prof. Dr. med.Marcos Tatagiba
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Price: 36114.32
HELIOS Clinic Krefeld
Germany, Krefeld

HELIOS Clinic Krefeld

Overall rating 9.7 / 10

Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery

The Department of Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery offers the full range of services in this medical field. The main attention is paid to the diagnosis and surgical treatment of tumors of the brain and meninges, functional disorders of the central nervous system, acute and chronic diseases of the vessels of the brain and spinal cord, diseases of the peripheral nervous system, spinal diseases in adults and children. The specialists of the department have the very latest surgical techniques and innovative technical equipment, which guarantees excellent quality of treatment.

Michael Stoffel
Prof. Dr. med.Michael Stoffel
Price: 31901.78

Epilepsy is one of the most common diseases, affecting 70 million people worldwide. This condition reduces the quality of life and can lead to serious consequences, including injuries due to falls. Epilepsy is usually controlled with drug therapy. If it is ineffective, healthcare professionals may perform surgery. Doctors at German hospitals use the latest treatment methods for the disease. They perform not only classical surgical interventions with a craniotomy but also minimally invasive procedures, which are safe and do not require any long-term recovery.

Content

  1. When may surgery be required?
  2. What surgical procedures can be performed for epilepsy?
  3. Functional treatments

Surgeons have in their arsenal many surgical treatment options. As a rule, removing an area of ​​the brain with pathological activity or destroying it with a laser under MRI guidance helps a patient to get rid of epilepsy once and for all. Many German hospitals use functional neurosurgery techniques such as vagus nerve stimulation and deep brain stimulation.

You can seek medical attention from the Beta Klinik Bonn, the Epilepsy Center Bethel Bielefeld, or the University Hospital Freiburg.

Our company will take care of all the arrangements for your trip, from selecting a hospital and a doctor to translating medical records after the completion of treatment into your native language. The Booking Health team will help you to make an appointment on the preferred date, apply for a visa, get medical insurance, and control the cost of medical services provided. During the treatment, your personal coordinator will constantly be in touch with you

When may surgery be required?

 

In 70% of patients with epilepsy, seizures are completely resolved when taking medicines. In 30% of patients, other treatment methods have to be used, including a ketogenic diet, vagus nerve stimulation, or surgery. Surgical treatment is considered successful if, as a result of the operation, seizures have disappeared and no significant cognitive, mental, or neurological deficit has developed.

About 1,5% of patients with epilepsy require surgery. Doctors at medical facilities in Germany perform about a thousand such surgical procedures every year. If the focus of the pathological activity of the brain is detected and removed, then in two out of three patients, the seizures disappear completely, while in the rest, their number decreases significantly. This is an excellent result, considering that the chances of getting rid of seizures with the help of drug therapy do not exceed 8%.

What surgical procedures can be performed for epilepsy?

 

The best way to cure epilepsy is to eliminate its cause.

Sometimes the cause is a lump in the brain that irritates its cortex. These can be cavernomas, focal areas of cortical dysplasia, or tumors. Once they are removed, the seizures will disappear completely.

This treatment became possible due to improving the accuracy of diagnostics. Nowadays, doctors can detect foci of pathological brain activity using modern MRI options. Interventional MRI allows doctors to confirm the completeness of resection of the pathological focus even prior to the completion of the operation, which significantly improves epilepsy surgery outcomes.

An anterior temporal lobectomy accounts for about half of surgical interventions in specialized Epilepsy Centers in Germany. Physicians try to limit the extent of neocortical resection to minimize the neurological consequences.

Operations are very successful as seizures completely disappear in 80% of patients immediately after surgery. Over the next 20 years, they will also disappear in another 10% of those who had surgery. In only 10% of patients, seizures persist, but their frequency decreases.

Surgery on other parts of the brain is less effective. Seizures after surgery disappear in 50-60% of cases.

Minimally invasive procedures are also performed in Germany instead of conventional surgery. The focus of pathological activity does not have to be removed with a scalpel as it can be destroyed with a laser. The fiber can be inserted through a small opening in the skull, so there is no need for trepanation. MRI-guided laser ablation of epileptic foci can be safely performed even in patients at high surgical risk.

Below are some rare operations for epilepsy treatment:

A hemispherotomy is a surgical procedure to disconnect the cerebral hemispheres. This surgery leads to movement disorders in patients, and therefore it can only be used in those in whom these functions are already impaired. This is an operation from the twentieth century that is almost never used in countries with advanced medicine.

A functional hemispherectomy involves the removal of the temporal lobe and central cortex, while the corpus callosum, frontal and occipital cortex are detached. This surgical procedure provides similar results with a lower risk of complications. Seizures resolve in 85% of patients.

A corpus callosotomy is the excision of the corpus callosum. The surgical procedure is most often performed for drop attacks. This operation is effective in 85% of patients but may cause neurological complications. This type of treatment of epilepsy in Germany is carried out in two stages to reduce the risk.

Functional treatments

 

It is possible not to remove or dissect anything but to stimulate the nerves or parts of the brain to achieve the elimination of seizures or reduce their frequency. The main methods for doing this are as follows:

Vagus nerve stimulation involves the placement of an electrode on a nerve in the neck between the common carotid artery and the internal jugular vein. The stimulation is carried out automatically, and if necessary, "manually". In half of the patients, the frequency of seizures decreases by 2 times or more within 2 years of monitoring after the implantation of a stimulator. Possible side effects include hoarseness and coughing during stimulation, as well as neck discomfort.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is the placement of a device that stimulates the brain inside the skull. An implanted neurostimulator delivers continuous or scheduled stimulation. Immediately after the implantation of the device, the frequency of seizures decreases in every third patient, and after 2 years of monitoring, the effectiveness of the intervention reaches 56%.

German doctors have started using the new Neuropace stimulator. It does not operate continuously, but only stimulates when abnormal brain activity is detected. As a result of the implantation of this device, the frequency of seizures immediately decreased in 38% of patients. After 6 years, the treatment effectiveness increased to 66%.

On the Booking Health website, you can find the cost of medical services and make your appointment for epilepsy treatment and neurorehabilitation in Germany at a favorable price. Our specialists will help you to select the most suitable clinics in Germany and arrange your trip.

 

Authors: 

The article was edited by medical experts, board-certified doctors Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova and Dr. Vadim Zhiliuk. For the treatment of the conditions referred to in the article, you must consult a doctor; the information in the article is not intended for self-medication!

 

Sources:

Medscape

UpToDate

Healthline