Advances in the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy

Abstract

Epilepsy is the most common serious brain disorder in children, occurring in all parts of the world and within every stratum of the population. Through its effects, it exerts a significant physical, psychological, economic, and social toll on children and their caregivers. Historically, the surgical treatment of epilepsy has been viewed with skepticism with regard to its indications, safety, and therapeutic benefit. However, continued refinements in diagnostic and operative techniques are helping to put to rest the antiquated notion that surgery is a last-resort procedure in the management of pediatric epilepsy. Surgery can be performed safely, even in infants and young children, with excellent patient outcomes in properly selected patients. This review focuses on the surgical treatment of pediatric epilepsy. A brief background discussion of seizures and epilepsy is followed by a substantive discussion regarding the intricacies of selecting patients for epilepsy surgery, emphasizing the important role of advanced imaging techniques in the decision-making process. The indications and outcomes of the most common epilepsy surgical procedures are then reviewed. The article ends with a discussion of the future of epilepsy surgery.