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Author Spotlight: Advancing Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery in Children Through Novel Biomarkers and Enhanced Localization
Published on: September 20, 2024
Youth Weigh In: Views on Advanced Neurotechnology for Drug-Resistant Epilepsy
Farhad R Udwadia1,2, Patrick J McDonald1,3, Mary B Connolly4
1Neuroethics Canada, Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, 8166University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Background:
Epilepsy affects over 500,000 children in North America of whom 30% have drug-resistant epilepsy. Advancements with neurotechnologies show promising benefits, but the perceptions of these procedures by youth is unknown.
Methods:
We conducted semistructured interviews with 10 youth in British Columbia, Canada who underwent procedures for drug-resistant epilepsy involving different forms of neurotechnology (subdural grids, vagus nerve stimulation, responsive neurostimulation). Interviews were analyzed using the constant comparative qualitative method.
Results:
Four major thematic categories emerged from the interviews. Treatment values, impact of the disorder, personal context, and impact of neurotechnology.
Conclusions:
Besides the predictable goal of seizure reduction, a desire for autonomy and the importance of trust in the medical team emerged as dominant values within the 4 thematic categories that were explicit to the use of new neurotechnologies for the management of drug-resistant epilepsy.
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