| Medical tourism has become a common form of | | | | seizure medicines is carried over to the surgical |
| vacationing, and covers a broad spectrum of medical | | | | treatment of epilepsy. State-of-the-art technology is |
| services like epilepsy surgery in India. It mixes leisure, | | | | applied to perform the safest and least-invasive |
| fun and relaxation together with wellness and | | | | procedure that will help the patient to achieve the |
| healthcare. A combination of many factors has lead | | | | highest possible quality of life. Epilepsy surgery can be |
| to the recent increase in popularity of medical | | | | especially beneficial to patients who have seizures |
| tourism. Exorbitant cost of healthcare and medical | | | | associated with structural brain abnormalities, such as |
| facilities in advanced countries, ease and affordability | | | | benign brain tumors, malformations of blood vessels |
| of international travel, favorable currency exchange | | | | (including disorders known as arteriovenous |
| rates in the global economy, rapidly improving | | | | malformations, venous angiomas, and cavernous |
| technology and high standards of medical care in the | | | | angiomas), and strokes. Epilepsy treatment has |
| developing countries has all contributed their share to | | | | evolved to include consideration of the patient's |
| this rapid development of medical tourism. This | | | | quality of life, not just the number of seizures. Both |
| process is being facilitated by the corporate sector | | | | continued seizures and high doses of medication |
| involved in medical care as well as the tourism | | | | impose costs on all areas of a person's life-intellectual, |
| industry - both private and public. Medical tourism can | | | | psychological, social, educational, and employment. |
| be broadly defined as the provision of 'cost effective' | | | | The individualized approach that should be used when |
| private medical care in collaboration with the tourism | | | | prescribing seizure medicines is carried over to the |
| industry for patients needing surgical and other forms | | | | surgical treatment of epilepsy. State-of-the-art |
| of specialized treatment like epilepsy surgery in India. | | | | technology is applied to perform the safest and |
| | | | | least-invasive procedure that will help the patient to |
| Epilepsy surgery can be especially beneficial to | | | | achieve the highest possible quality of life. |
| patients who have seizures associated with structural | | | | |
| brain abnormalities, such as benign brain tumors, | | | | For neurosurgery, patients must find surgeons who |
| malformations of blood vessels (including disorders | | | | are appropriately trained. Another factor to consider |
| known as arteriovenous malformations, venous | | | | is cost and reimbursement. Typical cost for epilepsy |
| angiomas, and cavernous angiomas), and strokes. | | | | surgery can vary, and many insurance companies will |
| Epilepsy treatment has evolved to include | | | | only provide partial coverage, or even no coverage, |
| consideration of the patient's quality of life, not just | | | | since they still consider the surgery experimental. And |
| the number of seizures. Both continued seizures and | | | | finally, patients need to be aware that like any new |
| high doses of medication impose costs on all areas of | | | | medical technology, this surgery carries with it a |
| a person's life-intellectual, psychological, social, | | | | certain level of unknown technical risks. Since epilepsy |
| educational, and employment. The individualized | | | | surgery it is still a relatively new procedure in India |
| approach that should be used when prescribing | | | | with a certain level of risks. |