Wadia Hospital treats 11 Year Old suffering from Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome

The child had taken multiple anti epileptics drugs but it didn’t help

Doctors at Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children (BJWHC) treated 11-year-old boy Krishna Kini who was suffering from a rare disease called “Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome”,  a severe form of  epilepsy  that is observed in early childhood. A team of doctors from Neurological Department Dr Shilpa Kulkarni, Dr Chandrashekhar Deopujari, Dr Milind Sankhe and Dr Anaita Hegde used The Vagal Nerve Stimulator Technique to treat LGS syndrome. From 250 epileptic attacks, it is reduced to 5 -10 in a day.

Dr Kulkarni, Consultant Neurologist at Wadia Hospital, Parel  said “Krishna was born normally, but due to low blood sugar he suffered multiple  seizures in his new-born period which lead to permanent brain damage. At 6 months he was detected with  West Syndrome, a seizure disorder (epilepsy) which  gradually evolved into Lennox Gastaut Syndrome, a devastating epilepsy syndrome.”

“He became very weak and infirm due to multiple seizures, that he was unable to walk and sometimes fall which resulted in major injuries.These falls had brought his life and his parents life to a stand still. Their quality of life had deteriorated and parents had started avoiding the social contact for the fear of falls.” adds Dr Kulkarni.

The child had taken multiple anti epileptics drugs but it didn’t help. Later he was put on a Ketogenic diet – a special diet for epilepsy, even that did not help him.  In Decmber 2014, he underwent epilepsy surgery –Corpus callosotomy, a palliative surgical procedure in which two hemispheres are separated by cutting of the fibres joining two halves of the  brain. But that surgery did not stop his seizures.

• Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS)  is a childhood epilepsy syndrome characterised by recurrent seizures (epilepsy).
• Doctors used the Vagal Nerve Stimulator technique (VNS) therapy.
• From 250 epileptic attacks is reduced to 5 -10 in a day.
• The annual incidence in children is estimated to be 2 per 100,000 children.

Dr Kulkarni stated “After discussing with the team of the neurological department at Wadia hospital, it was then decided to give a trial of Vagal Nerve Stimulation (VNS) therapy, a device that sends mild pulses to the Vagus nerve at regular intervals throughout the day in an effort to prevent seizures. The afferent vagus nerve fibres are thought to increase blood flow and metabolism in regions of the brain associated with onset of epileptic seizures. Luckily, this therapy helped in reductions in seizure severity, duration of seizures, improved mental functioning, mood and behaviour.”

Dr Minnie Bodhanwala, CEO, Wadia Hospitals  says, “Wadia Group of Hospitals,  has always been working for the betterment of patients and decided to support this boy by arranging funds for this expensive surgery as they were from poor socio- economic background and we are happy to see our efforts have turned fruitful for the kid which gives us more inspiration.”

Dhiraj Kini (Father)says, “We are very happy with our decision to bring our son to BJWHC. We had lost hope but doctors at Wadia Hospital have given a new lease of life to our son Krishna. After the VNS theraphy, in the one month the seizures reduced, also the alertness of the child improved. We have observed him for three months now the seizures are very occasional more than 80 per cent benefit, from 250 epileptic attacks it is reduced to 5 -10 in a day,  but most important is the child has started independent walking without many falls.”