U.S. Army veteran Robert Lindemann has become the first patient in the VA system to undergo a minimally invasive laser procedure to treat his epilepsy.
Lindemann, who served nearly 33 years before retiring, received the procedure at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, Texas, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) said.
Known as Visualase, it was performed by neurosurgeon Dr. Garrett Banks and the hospital’s neurosurgery, neurology and radiology teams. This option spares patients the risks of open brain surgery, according to the VA.
The agency said the technology has been used at a limited number of academic epilepsy centers but never before at a VA facility. The procedure delivers laser ablation through a fiber-optic catheter placed through a 3.2mm hole in the skull—an opening smaller than a pencil eraser.
Real-time MRI guidance lets surgeons monitor tissue temperature. They can then adjust as they target the problem area while protecting the surrounding brain.
“This minimally invasive procedure isn’t just about small incisions or faster recovery,” Banks said. “It’s about preserving the cognitive abilities, dignity and well-being of the veteran patient.”
Military.com asked the VA about Lindemann’s current condition and its plans to offer the procedure more widely. No response was received.
Years of Seizures
Lindemann was diagnosed with focal epilepsy after a major seizure about five or six years ago, per the VA. He had begun losing track of time in what he first mistook for exhaustion.
Medications did not control the seizures. He was referred to the epilepsy center of excellence at the Houston VA, where electrode testing traced the seizures to his right temporal lobe.
The standard surgical option would have been a craniotomy to remove part of that lobe, a prospect Lindemann described as daunting.
“That’s a scary procedure,” he told VA News.
He was discharged two days after the laser procedure and reported feeling great two days after that.
“At the Houston VA, I got first-rate care, by first-rate doctors, with the latest and greatest technology,” Lindemann added.
A Wider Push at the VA
The milestone reflects a broader expansion of epilepsy care at the Houston VA, which the department says was the first VA hospital in the nation to earn Level 4 accreditation—the highest rating from the National Association of Epilepsy Centers.
It is one of the VA’s epilepsy centers of excellence.
Banks framed the procedure as a step the department could build on.
It is “an expansion of what [the] VA can offer” to veterans dealing with focal epilepsy, deep brain tumors and radiation necrosis, he said, describing it as a capability the VA could extend to more patients across the country.
According to the department, the first use of the system opens a new chapter in its neurosurgical care, offering an alternative to open surgery for veterans who have run out of other options.
Whether the procedure expands to other VA facilities, and how quickly, is the question now facing the department.
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