Surgery may be appropriate for certain forms of epilepsy that cause frequent, poorly controlled seizures in children that cannot be well managed by medication or diet. The basic surgical approach is to isolate and remove the brain tissue associated with the seizure focus.
Cognition may be preserved, and at times partially recovered, by early surgical treatment by reducing or stopping seizures. Doctors generally recommend that people who have epilepsy surgery, still take antiseizure medication to remain seizure free, however, doses may be adjusted or lowered.
Click on the video to hear Dr Stephen Malone, Paediatric Neurologist and Epileptologist, answer the question ‘When is surgery considered as a treatment option in children?’
Surgery as a treatment option