Surgical treatment of pediatric drug-resistant epilepsy.

Abstract

Drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) affects 25% of all epileptic patients, and quality of life decreases in these patients due to their seizures. Early detection is crucial in order to establish potential treatment alternatives and determine if the patient is a surgical candidate. Neurosurgical treatment may improve seizures in children and adolescents with drug-resistant epilepsy, but additional data are needed from randomized trials. A total of 47 patients were identified; 10 treated with ASMs, 3 treated with ASMs + VNS, and 34 treated with ASMs + cranial epilepsy surgery. In this single-center trial, children and adolescents with drug-resistant epilepsy who had undergone different types of epilepsy surgery had a significantly higher rate of freedom from seizures and better scores with respect to behavior and quality of life than did those who continued medical therapy alone. The surgery resulted in expected neurological deficits related to the area of ​​brain resection.