New step forward for hundreds of thousands of drug-resistant epilepsy patients in Vietnam

A 16-year-old female student suffering from drug-resistant epilepsy for 8 years has become the first patient to receive a deep brain electroencephalogram (SEEG) at Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital. The success of the case opens up the opportunity for a healthy life for the patient.

Doctors place deep brain electrodes to record electroencephalogram (SEEG) to treat epilepsy in patients - Photo: Provided by the hospital

On September 12, Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital (HCMC) announced that it had successfully performed the first case of placing deep brain electrodes to record electroencephalogram (SEEG) to treat epilepsy .

16 year old patient, drug resistant for many years

The first SEEG patient was a 16-year-old female, a 10th grade student , who had suffered from epilepsy since she was 8 years old. Despite treatment in many places, using up to 3 types of anti-epileptic drugs, her condition became increasingly resistant to the drugs, with an average of 2-3 seizures per week.

Magnetic resonance imaging showed a large cortical abnormality in the left temporo-occipital lobe. Scalp electroencephalography suggested left temporal seizure origin, but could not pinpoint the exact area requiring surgery.

Dr. Pham Anh Tuan - Head of the Department of Neurosurgery, Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital - said: "The temporal region is related to memory, language, image and sound recognition... If the surgery is not precise, it can cause permanent neurological defects. Therefore, we need SEEG technique to accurately locate and preserve brain function."

According to MSc. Dr. Le Thuy Minh An - Department of Neurology - the advantages of SEEG are minimal invasion and high accuracy . Deep brain electrodes help doctors record EEG directly from the brain, accurately identify the epileptic region and map the functions of neighboring brain areas.

“Without deep brain electrode placement, patients must accept living with drug-resistant epilepsy. If surgery is performed blindly based on MRI images, the risk of relapse is high or permanent neurological damage is likely. Research shows that combining SEEG and epileptogenic surgery improves seizure control by 40-60% compared to traditional surgery,” said Dr. An.

After placing the electrodes, doctors continuously recorded the EEG and analyzed the data to determine the epileptic area. The results showed that the area requiring surgery was much smaller than the MRI image, allowing for precise removal, preserving maximum brain function. Two weeks later, the patient underwent surgery to remove the epileptic area and has not had any seizures since.

Great demand, new step forward for Vietnamese healthcare

According to statistics, the rate of epilepsy in Vietnam accounts for 0.5 - 1% of the population , equivalent to 500,000 - 1 million people. About 30% of these are drug-resistant epilepsy - cases that require intensive surgical intervention.

Every year, the Department of Neurosurgery at Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital receives hundreds of epilepsy cases, especially patients who have been treated in many places but still cannot control their disease. The implementation of SEEG helps open up new treatment opportunities for this group of patients.

According to the hospital, this is the first time the SEEG technique has been performed in a public hospital system in Vietnam. This success is the result of research, international cooperation and continuous training. SEEG not only improves epilepsy treatment but also lays the foundation for its application to other neurological diseases such as Parkinson's.

THUY DUONG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/buoc-tien-moi-cho-hang-tram-nghin-benh-nhan-dong-kinh-khang-thuoc-o-viet-nam-20250912104954299.htm