Patient records
Name: Lily Anderson
Age: 28
Nationality: British (London)
Diagnosis: Drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy (complex partial seizures, 4-5 seizures per month, MRI showing right hippocampal sclerosis)
Treatment Hospital: Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University
Core technology: Precise anterior temporal lobectomy with brain functional area localization assistance under intraoperative awake anesthesia.
In the latest video Lily sent, she stands confidently in a bright London gallery, introducing her photography to guests. Her eyes are clear and focused, her speech fluent—a stark contrast to the girl who lived in fear a year ago. In her email, she wrote, "Thank you for helping me tame the 'electric storm' in my brain and allowing me to rediscover my clarity."
Lily is a professional photographer, but epilepsy has haunted her for a decade. Her seizures are complex partial seizures; before each one, she experiences a sudden, inexplicable stomach upset, followed by confusion and involuntary movements like lip-smacking or fidgeting, lasting a minute or two before returning to normal, with no memory of the seizure. These seizures occur at least 4-5 times a month, making it impossible for her to drive, work independently, or even have a public seizure at an important film exhibition opening, plunging her into deep depression. In London, she tried more than three types of anti-epileptic drugs, but with little success, and was diagnosed with drug-resistant epilepsy. An MRI revealed that the culprit was sclerosis of her right hippocampus.
When Lily came to us, her biggest fear wasn't the surgery itself, but the possibility that it might damage her memory and language skills— a devastating prospect for an artist. Our case manager precisely matched her with the Department of Neurosurgery at Huashan Hospital affiliated with Fudan University, one of the earliest centers in China to perform epilepsy surgery, renowned for its exceptional intraoperative functional preservation techniques.
Before the consultation, we assisted in arranging long-term video EEG monitoring, which captured several clinical seizures in Lily and precisely located the epileptic focus in the right hippocampus. Our medical consultant explained the surgical plan to her in detail: "The doctor will use intraoperative awakening technology. Before removing the lesion, you will be awakened from anesthesia, and then your brain's language and memory function areas will be stimulated with microcurrents. By having you speak and recognize images, the boundaries of the functional areas that need to be protected will be precisely drawn, ensuring that these valuable functions are not accidentally damaged during the removal of the lesion."
During the consultation, a miraculous scene unfolded on the operating table. Lily was awakened in a painless state, and the surgeon spoke softly with her, asking her to identify the pictures on the cards. Our case manager, outside the operating room, held Lily's mother's hand tightly, relaying the situation inside in real time: "The doctor said the language area is clearly located, and there's still a safe distance from the lesion, so they can remove the lesion to the maximum extent possible." At that moment, Lily's mother burst into tears.
After the surgery , we established an antiepileptic medication management file for Lily. She still needed to take medication for a period of time post-surgery. We monitored her blood drug levels and EEG regularly through remote follow-up, and gradually and safely reduced the dosage based on the advice of experts at Huashan Hospital. One year after the surgery, she completely stopped taking medication, and her epilepsy has not recurred. The photo she sent from the gallery is the most beautiful testament to her regained clarity of mind.