New implant offers hope for epilepsy patients

Pioneering surgery to fit an epilepsy implant has been carried out at Newcastle Hospitals, marking the first procedure of its kind in the UK.

Developed by German med-tech company Precisis, EASEE® is a “potentially life-changing” device designed to target electrical brain activity and reduce seizures in patients with focal epilepsy who do not respond to medication.

Performed by neurosurgeon Chris Cowie at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, the procedure involved implanting the device to deliver precise brain stimulation. 

By using a combination of direct-current-like and high-frequency stimulation, the implant aims to reduce seizure activity and interrupt imminent seizures.

With an estimated 630,000 people living with epilepsy in the UK, the innovative treatment offers renewed hope for those struggling with difficult-to-control seizures.

Chris said: “We are really pleased to be able to offer this new pioneering treatment to the first patient in the UK. 

“It’s potentially life changing for this particular group of patients who are living with epilepsy which affects their quality of life enormously.”

“However, for us at Newcastle Hospitals it’s most useful where the focus in this group of patients is where the epilepsy is in a part of brain which would be risky to try and remove.

“For example, the cortex which controls movement in the arm, leg or face; or the production or understanding of speech – in some cases we would have performed the surgery, or we might have said ‘it’s too risky we can’t do anything for your epilepsy’.

“Now we can fit this implant in less than an hour, which is potentially life-changing for patients with certain types of epilepsy and has shown to reduce the severity and incidence of seizures in patients in Europe.”

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