Diagnostic challenges in the evaluation of chronic epilepsy-related surgical neuropathology

Abstract

For patients with pharmacoresistent epilepsy, surgical excision is often an effective means of controlling and sometimes curing the seizures. Excised tissue frequently provides information regarding the precise etiology of the epilepsy. This review examines some of the more commonly encountered pathologies encountered in the neuropathology arena in this clinical venue. The most common identifiable causes of chronic epilepsy including low-grade tumors, hippocampal sclerosis, malformation of cortical development (cortical dysplasia), and remote infarcts will be discussed. Differential diagnostic difficulties will be examined.