Epilepsy surgery in children and adolescents: Report on 43 cases

Abstract

Epilepsy surgery in children with refractory epilepsy is one of the most effective methods to control seizures. The proper selection and assessment of surgery candidates is critical for surgical treatment to be adequately effective and safe. The purpose of this article is to describe our experience with 43 consecutive pediatric patients that underwent epilepsy surgery for refractory epilepsy between September 2005 and May 2014. Effectiveness, safety, and prognostic factors were analyzed. The median age was 12 years old at the time of surgery and 4.5 years old at epilepsy onset, with a latency period of up to 6 years until surgery. Since the surgery, the 43 patients have been in follow-up for a median of 5.4 years (±2.3 years).Resective surgery was performed in 32 patients and hemispherectomy, in 11 patients. To date, 62.8% of patients remain seizure-free. A better prognosis was observed in patients who underwent surgery with a duration of epilepsy of less than two years and in patients in whom a complete resection of the epileptogenic zone was achieved.