Why would you need a hemispherectomy?

Why would you need a hemispherectomy?

A hemispherectomy is a rare surgery where half of the brain is either removed or disconnected from the other half. It’s performed on children and adults who have seizures that don’t respond to medicine.

When would it be beneficial to have a hemispherectomy?

Which patients are appropriate for a hemispherectomy? Generally speaking, very young patients, who have severe epilepsy or spasms not responding to medications and affecting only one half of the brain, are good candidates for this procedure.

What happens to the brain after hemispherectomy?

If left untreated, seizures can cause more damage to a child’s brain and disrupt their cognitive development. This can lead to more severe disability. Hemispherectomy can potentially stop the seizures. This can give the brain a chance to reorganize and develop without ongoing disruption.

Can you live a normal life after a hemispherectomy?

What to expect after the surgery. For many children a hemispherectomy can be a life-saving operation that can allow the child to lead a far more normal life. Often children are seizure free following the surgery. However, there are children who continue to have seizures even after the surgery.

What are the risks of a hemispherectomy?

Risks of Hemispherectomy

• No improvement in seizures.
• Brain swelling.
• Damage to the healthy half of the brain.
• Numbness in the scalp.
• Feelings of depression and tiredness.
• Functional problems with speech, language, memory, and peripheral vision.
• Headaches and nausea.
• Puffiness around the eyes.

What are the side effects of a hemispherectomy?

What part of the brain can you live without?

cerebellum
In the words of researcher and neurologist Jeremy Schmahmann, it’s the “Rodney Dangerfield of the brain” because “It don’t get no respect.” It’s the cerebellum. Even though the cerebellum has so many neurons and takes up so much space, it is possible to survive without it, and a few people have.

Can a brain live without a body?

The problem is that, without an attached body, the health of the brain can only be assessed in a fairly basic way. Generally the uptake of oxygen and presence of electrical activity are taken as evidence that the brain is alive.

Which side of your brain is emotional?

The neural system for emotions linked to approaching and engaging with the world – like happiness, pride and anger – lives in the left side of the brain, while emotions associated with avoidance – like disgust and fear – are housed in the right. But those studies were done almost exclusively on right-handed people.

What is the success rate of Hemispherectomy?

The outcome reported in this study is in line with previous results. Across studies, seizure reduction rates after hemispherectomy have ranged between 50% and 92%, with very low mortality rates (4).