Mexico extols epilepsy diagnosis and surgery:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Mexico is advocating greater use of surgery for the treatment of epilepsy. The technique reduces the intensity of epilepsy attacks by up to 80% in patients who do not respond to pharmaceutical treatment, says the health ministry, citing Rodolfo Ondarza Rovira, of the national neurology and neurosurgery institute (INNN). There is, however, a pressing need to encourage earlier diagnosis and a greater willingness to undergo surgery, through an information campaign that highlights its little-known potential, claims Dr Ondarza. Epilepsy affects around 120 per 100,000 population, and ranks among the most common conditions treated at the INNN - some 700 cases a month.