Epilepsy Program
Dramatic Newton-His Name Says it All
Dramatic Newton, a 35 year old Austin man, has finally regained the self-confidence he lost 14 years ago when he was diagnosed with epilepsy. He suffered from partial complex seizures that would literally stop him in his tracks. Dramatic's form of epilepsy is known as temporal lobe partial epilepsy and is one of the most common forms of epilepsy affecting millions of Americans.
Dramatic's seizures started when he was 22 years old. Anti-seizure medications did not stop them completely, nor did vagal nerve stimulation, a treatment in which short bursts of electrical energy are directed to his left vagus nerve in the neck.
"The seizures take away a lot of confidence if you know you have them because put yourself in that surroundings and wonder "what if I have a seizure while I'm doing this?" says Dramatic.
Dramatic decided he wanted to eliminate his seizures completely and researched epilepsy surgery where surgeons remove a small portion of the brain where seizures take place. Initially, he thought he would have to travel to San Antonio to have the surgery, but after more research, he learned that experts at the Seton Brain & Spine Institute could evaluate his seizures and determine if he was a good surgical candidate for epilepsy surgery.
Epileptologist, Dr. Jason Shen oversees Dramatic's treatment. "For those patients who have medication-resistance seizures, we usually consider surgery a good treatment option," explains Dr. Shen.
In December of 2009, Dramatic underwent video electroencephalography (video EEG) monitoring at the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) at University Medical Center Brackenridge, the largest monitoring unit in Central Texas. The EMU has a dedicated nursing and neurodiagnostic technology staff who are familiar with continuous seizure assessment.
Dramatic also had neuroradiological imaging studies, a complete neuropsychological evaluation, and a WADA test that identifies which side of the brain is dominant for language and memory. This helps surgeons determine what area of the brain surgeons can safely operate.
On January 4th, 2010, Seton Brain & Spine Institute neurosurgeon, Dr. Robert Buchanan performed an anterior temporal lobectomy. Before the surgery, Mr. Newton had invasive video EEG monitoring where electrodes were directly placed on top of brain to localize the seizure focus and to ensure the surgery would not affect his language or speech. From there, Dr. Buchanan was able to precisely remove the small area of the brain causing the seizures.
Since his surgery, Dramatic has not experienced a single seizure. He says he feels more confident at work and has recently started back at his favorite hobby of deejaying. He is very optimistic about his future.
Dr. Jason Shen, epileptologist, is a board-certified neurologist who is also board-certified in clinical neurophysiology, epilepsy monitoring tract. He did his neurology and clinical neurophysiology fellowship at the University of Utah. He is an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Southwestern. He evaluates and treats adult patients with epilepsy. He specializes in providing pre-surgical evaluation for those patients who may benefit from epilepsy surgery.
