EPIDEMIOLOGYEpilepsy surgery (ES) should be considered when adequate antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy has failed. Any program planning for ES against intractable epilepsy should rely on the epidemiology of intractable partial/ secondarily generalized epilepsy. A recent survey concludes that remission is obtainable in 70-80% of newly diagnosed epilepsy patients (i.e., a 5515% higher remission rate compared with the earlier data), and 20% of children with epilepsy will continue to have seizures (1,2). One to two thirds of those with symptomatic partial seizures carry risk of drug resistance. The reported median prevalence of active epilepsy from adult populations largely medically untreated was 7.7/1,000; for the treated, 5.8/1,000 (3). A study on the natural history of epilepsy and its psychosocial outcome showed that 24% of the interviewed had monthly seizures, and 10-24% had psychosocial problems (4). A remission of 5 years in 68% of cases has been reported. In a specialized epilepsy center, 2-5% of the patients were said to be ES candidates, and 7-18% of epilepsy patients followed up by neurologists were estimated to be candidates (5,6). The epidemiology for palliative ES is less precise. A 55-60% risk of drug resistance in children with secondary generalized seizures is reported (2). Epidemiology is the basis for health economical estimations of epilepsy and its treatment (7). In this survey, aspects of the illness and the cost of ES are addressed. ES is a rather expensive high-technologic care, but not using it is even more costly to the community.
PROGNOSIS AND SEIZURE INTRACTABILITYA number of negative prognostic factors have been identified in epilepsy, which include organic brain lesion, seizure onset in infancy, partial seizures, high seizure frequency, and multiple seizure types (1). In particular, seizures associated with mesial temporal atrophy/ sclerosis should be identified, as a few years' drug resistance should suffice for ES candidacy. Even today, Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. H. Silfvenius at Department of Neurosurgery, Section of Epilepsy, University Hospital, Umel S-90185, Sweden. the operated-on patients commonly have had decades of seizures before ES. Experience indicates that a considerable number of patients thought to have intractable epilepsy also can benefit from a comprehensive medical reevaluation (8,9). Severe epilepsy in children constitutes an urgent need for surgical evaluation (10). Quantified scoring has been proposed for intractability (1 1). It would facilitate input-outcome comparison and be useful in detailing ES failures. Secondary negative consequences of seizures in coping with life, health-related quality of life (QOL), employability, and economic situation of the patient are common expressions of illness intractability (12-15).
PRESURGICAL INVESTIGATIONThe cost and cost-effectiveness of ES are related to the diagnostic armamentarium, surgical facilities, and results. Today, invasive video-EEG, electrocorticography, pre-and peroperative functional c...