A world-leading, fibre optic laser therapy for people suffering
with epilepsy who have not responded well to other forms of
treatment will be rolled out on the NHS.
Offering hope to thousands of current and future NHS patients,
the cutting-edge laser treatment, targets the part of the brain
that is causing the seizures without the need for invasive
surgery.
A nationwide first, the treatment will benefit up to 150 NHS
patients every year with the first surgeries set to take place in
early 2023.
The laser requires just a 1.5mm-wide probe into the skull with
the fibre optic laser at the tip of the probe reaching and
destroying the epilepsy-causing brain tissue from the inside by
heating it.
Carried out in an MRI scanner, the clinical team accurately
navigate through the brain avoiding blood vessels and other
critical structures, and can monitor the temperature of the
surrounding areas to ensure healthy brain tissue does not
overheat.
The small wound heals quickly meaning patients can go home the
next day with minimal risk of infection or other side effects and
can return to their usual work and activities within a week.
This is the latest example of the NHS delivering on the Long Term
Plan commitment to ensure patients across the country have access
to the latest and most effective treatments available.
NHS national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis
said: “This pioneering laser beam treatment for
epilepsy patients is life-changing and will offer hope to
hundreds of people every year who have not had success in
preventing seizures with traditional drugs.
“By replacing invasive neurosurgery with a cutting-edge laser
therapy, allowing clinicians to better target the parts of the
brain causing the epilepsy, we not only dramatically reduce risks
to these patients, but drastically reduce their recovery time
both in and out of hospital.
“The treatment is yet another example of how the NHS continues to
deliver on its NHS Long Term Plan commitment to secure the latest
medical innovations for patients while also using our commercial
means to ensure value for money”.
Currently one in three people with epilepsy are not able to
control their seizures with drugs alone and may require invasive
neurosurgery to remove the epilepsy-causing part of the brain.
Around one in 100 people suffer with epilepsy and there are
around 600,000 people living with the condition across the UK.
While as many as 150,000 people may experience seizures of some
kind, only around 10,000 are candidates for conventional surgery.
This may be because the source of the seizure is not able to be
localised or the seizures are not frequent or intense enough –
and just one in 10 of these people are likely to go ahead with
neurosurgery.
Current conventional neurosurgery – an invasive operation on the
skull and brain, removing the part that is causing the seizures –
is only considered in patients who have had limited success with
other treatments. It requires a week’s stay in hospital, followed
by three months of recovery at home, which carries risks of
infection and pain.
NHS medical director for specialised services Professor
said: “This
innovative laser therapy is a game-changing breakthrough for
patients who have not had success with traditional forms of
treatment to control their seizures and will give those with
epilepsy a real chance to live a normal life.
“The NHS is committed to rolling out cutting-edge treatments as
quickly as possible – it is just one of seven new innovations
that the NHS is making available to patients from today across
the country following the latest review of treatments and
technologies that should be prioritised for investment.”
LITT will initially be available at two specialist service
providers in England with the first surgeries beginning in early
2023.
Individuals eligible for this treatment will have focal epilepsy
that has not been controlled with two or more appropriate
anti-seizure medications at maximum tolerated doses and have been
investigated at an Epilepsy Surgery Centre.
They will also have their suitability assessed by a
multi-disciplinary team and have a form of epilepsy that would
make open neurosurgery highly risky.
This new treatment is one of seven recommendations made by the
Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG) that NHS England has
accepted because the treatments are effective and represent an
improvement in the service offered to patients.
