Nine-year-old Aisha has become the first child in the country to undergo a revolutionary new MRI laser procedure to treat drug-resistant epilepsy.

The Australian-first procedure, known as laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT), uses a laser MRI to dissolve the brain tissue causing the seizures and through a specialised computer program, is able to target the seizure focus with pinpoint accuracy. 

The minimally invasive approach avoids the need to cut into the skull, helping to reduce pain and significantly improve recovery times for children like Aisha.

Diagnosed at four years of age, Aisha spent the majority of her childhood experiencing debilitating seizures. She has already undergone two major brain surgeries, and has been trialed on numerous medications, with both proving ineffective in managing her seizures. Prior to her most recent surgery, Aisha was having up to 30 seizures a day.

"When I heard this surgery was available in Australia, it was the best feeling I've ever had. I was jumping for joy," Aisha's mum, Marwa, said.

"To know something like this was finally available and Aisha was the perfect candidate, I was so excited."

Aisha's surgery was led by Dr Mark Dexter, Head of Neurosurgery at The Children's Hospital at Westmead and Westmead Hospital, and performed as part of a collaboration across the two hospitals, using the new state-of-the-art intra-operative MRI facilities at Westmead Hospital and a $500,000 laser machine donated by DeiCorp at Westmead Hospital.

Dr Dexter, who also performed the surgery on an adult for the first time in Australia in April, said it is game-changing.

"It's absolutely the most amazing thing I've been involved in in my practising career," Dr Dexter said.

"It transforms lives of children  kids sometimes having 30 or 40 seizures a day become seizure-free, home the next day, back to school three days later."

Aisha is one of five children and 10 adults treated so far, and all are completely seizure-free.

Since her surgery in July, Aisha is back at school, learning to ride a bike and looking forward to starting up swimming lessons again. 

"Aisha is coming out of her shell, she's the old Aisha that she used to be - she's doing fantastic," Marwa said.

"I'm just so happy, I don't know how to thank them [the doctors] enough."