UK teenage boy seizure-free after brain surgery removes part of his brain

LONDON: Angus Bain, 17, has successfully undergone a life-changing laser brain surgery that cured him of his seizures.

Bain has been suffering debilitating epileptic fits at least once a week since he was four-years-old.

In October, doctors at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh, removed the brain tissue that had been causing him seizures for the past 13 years. Ten weeks later, Bain has not had a single incident.

"I've never had such a long period not having a seizure, it's an amazing relief. I'm so happy," Bain was quoted as saying to BBC Scotland News.

"Christmas is a big occasion and now it will be even bigger this year."

"Being able to have this surgery is amazing. I think it could change my life forever by making me able to do the things I haven't been able to do."

The innovative laser technology -- known as MRI-guided Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT) -- is minimally invasive and can reach the centre of the brain.

The surgery takes just under two hours with a relatively short recovery time, the SWNS reported.

"The laser surgery is a fantastic development for specific patients and will give some with epilepsy a real chance to live a normal life," Jothy Kandasamy, consultant neurosurgeon at the Hospital, was quoted as saying.

"For some patients, by replacing invasive neurosurgery with cutting-edge laser therapy, we not only dramatically reduce risks to these patients, but significantly reduce their recovery time too," Kandasamy told BBC.

The surgery has been life-changing not just for Bain, but for the entire family.

"Our lives have been consumed with Bain's epilepsy since he was four. He has been on lots of very heavy medication, had wires in his head, brain stimulation, so many tests and scans," said his mother Nicki Bain.

"The build-up to him having a seizure would last a few days, then after the seizure it would take another couple of days for him to recover, so I don't think he's ever actually had a normal day."

Nicki said her son's "future is looking so bright, and we're incredibly proud and excited for him".

However, it may take a year before he can come off the strong medication he is on so his brain recovers from the surgery, the report said.