13-Year-Old UK Boy Gets World's First Epilepsy Device Fitted in Skull
Oran Knowlson, a 13-year-old boy from England with severe epilepsy, has made medical history as the first person in the world to trial a groundbreaking new device fitted in his skull to control seizures. The innovative surgery, conducted at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, has significantly improved Oran's quality of life by reducing his seizures by 80%. Oran suffers from Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a treatment-resistant form of epilepsy that had left him experiencing frequent and debilitating seizures. In October 2023, he underwent the pioneering surgery where a Picostim neurostimulator was implanted into his skull. This device, created by UK company Amber Therapeutics, sends electrical signals deep into the brain to disrupt the abnormal signals that trigger seizures. The eight-hour surgery was part of a clinical trial at Great Ormond Street Hospital, in partnership with University College London, King's College Hospital, and Oxford University. According to ...
