Debating Surgery in Genetic Disorders with Epilepsy: Scott Perry, MD

WATCH TIME: 3 minutes

“First of all, for 15 years or more, we've been talking about epilepsy surgery and that's the thing, it's vastly underutilized. But it is the thing that is most likely to bring many people a cure, or at least very significant reduction in seizures.”

Personalized treatment at the individual level is important for patients with epilepsy in order to optimize the management of seizures and non-seizures. Currently, there are several types of treatment approaches for different epileptic populations, including genetics, pharmaceutical management, personalized prediction of surgical outcomes, and surgical approaches.

Scott Perry, MD, participated in a debate about surgery in genetic disorders in an annual course presented at the 2022 American Epilepsy Society Annual Meeting, held December 2 to 6, in Nashville, Tennessee. His debate was held in the final session of the course and addressed personalized approaches to imaging, surgery, and the use of devices. The rest of the course discussed personalized management from different clinical perspectives, including the growing understanding of genetic testing and capability of gene modulatory therapies.

At the meeting, Perry, head of neurosciences at the Jane and John Justin Neurosciences Center of Cook Children’s Medical Center, sat down with NeurologyLive^®to discuss the debate, as he took on the side of pro-surgery for genetic disorders. He also explained the current conversation on genetic epilepsies, the approaches for treatment to reduce seizure frequency, including foregoing surgery.

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REFERENCES
1. Hyslop A, Perry S. Debate: Surgery in Genetic Disorders: To Do or Not To Do? Presented at: AES Annual Meeting; December 2-6, 2022; Nashville, TN, and virtual. Annual Course.