February 22, 2001 14:59: A GROUND-BREAKING technique to help epilepsy sufferers, developed at the National Society for Epilepsy (NSE), has been featured on BBC1's Tomorrow's World.

Researchers at the NSE, in Chesham Lane, Chalfont St Peter, have developed a new technique of scanning the brain, which enables doctors to pinpoint previously undetectable abnormalities that cause epilepsy.

A two-part series of Tomorrow's World, which started on Wednesday, followed patient Anuja Rawal who was first diagnosed with epilepsy at 25 when she was leading a normal life, working in London.

She was asked if she would be willing to be scanned using the new technique as part of the research into epilepsy.

The programme showed her progress in the months before, during and after surgery.

Doctors removed a small part of her brain in December at the National Hospital of Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, after locating the abnormality.

She has since been free of seizures for almost three months.

Professor John Duncan, medical director of the National Society for Epilepsy and Professor of Neurology at University College London, said: "This finding is important.

"Surgery may be an option for those whose epilepsy does not respond to medication, but only if we can pinpoint the precise location in the brain that is causing the problem.

"This new method of scanning the brain and analysing the data is currently proving successful in detecting the cause of epilepsy in around one in three of patients in whom previous MRI techniques could detect no obvious cause.

"With the further development of brain imaging techniques, we hope that we will be able to locate the cause of epilepsy in many more people in whom it is a mystery at present."

The second part of the series on Tomorrow's World will be shown next Wednesday at 7pm.

For more information about epilepsy contact their helpline on (01494) 601400 or email www.epilepsynse.org.uk