VNS surgery

[sparklesandbling]

Hi
Does anyone know the process ie from who says yes to actual surgery.

DD's neurologist wants DD to be considered for surgery. Today received letter for appointment with paediatric surgeon but only him. Is this normal? What is this appointment for?

I have no idea about this operation but from experience with ds it would be entirely normal for one consultant to refer to another who then sees the patient on their own.

Or it could be that it us a joint clinic but only one consultant is named on the letter. Have had this happen too!

You can always ring the secretary to clarify

It is normal for a neurologist to diagnose and recommend surgery, but you then need to see the person (neurosurgeon) who will actually do the op, and they need to see your DD and agree to do it. Go armed with a list of questions written down beforehand about the op because it it hard to think on the spot. Sorry, I don't know your DD's surgery, I just recognised the confusion that I had with neurologist vs neurosurgeon. Best of luck....

Hi my son (not a child) had a VNS placed last September and it was a General Surgeon . No neurosurgeon was involved as the surgery does not go near the brain as the vagal nerve is in the neck.

Surgery was successful and the device is now at full power. His seizures have decreased but the best thing is that they are much shorter and less violent. As he has Down Syndrome he is not aware he is going to have a seizure the magnate is not as useful as someone who gets an aura.

We do not regret having this done.

Good luck

We only discussed it with neurologists. We met the neurosurgeon, who did the op, the day before, when she was admitted. She had been discussed by the whole team before though, to see if she was a candidate for brain surgery - they decided against it, hence the VNS.