About Epilepsy Surgery

Curative surgery

The purpose of these procedures is to stop seizures completely. A small number of those with LGS may qualify for these types of surgery. Resections are surgeries that remove part of the brain, while a disconnection is a procedure that disconnects part of the brain while leaving the rest of the brain intact. Other surgeries may destroy a small or large part of the brain with heat (laser), radiation, or by preventing blood flow. They include:

• Laser ablation
• Lesionectomy
• Lobectomy
• Hemispheric surgeries
• Amygdalohippocampectomy
• Hippocampal transection
• Posterior quadrant resection or disconnection (also known as temporoparietaloccipital disconnection or TPO)

Neuromodulation

Neuromodulation is a type of technology that acts directly upon nerves. A device is implanted in a person, and this alters nerve activity by delivering electrical impulses directly to specific nerves. The most common types of neuromodulation used in LGS are Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS), Responsive Neurostimulation (RNS), and Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS). All of these require some type of surgery to implant the device.

• Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS)
• Responsive Neurostimulation (RNS)
• Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)

Palliative surgery

There are other procedures that are not intended to stop the seizures completely but instead aim to stop the seizures after they begin or reduce the number of seizures. These are known as palliative procedures. They include:

• Corpus Callosotomy
• Multiple Subpial Transection
  

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A Quick Guide to Epilepsy Surgery for Parents

This brief guide introduces you to the various surgeries to consider to stop drug-resistance seizures in childhood.

_{Thank you to Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery Alliance for the use and adaptation of this article. Please visit them to learn more about Epilepsy Surgery.}

Updated April 10, 2022