Comment to the paper: Palliative functional hemispherectomy for treatment of refractory status epilepticus associated with Alpers' disease

Introduction: Performing epilepsy surgery in a child with a neurodegenerative illness is a relatively unexplored challenge. In this issue of CNS, Lupashko and coauthors report the use of epilepsy surgery to eliminate seizures without influencing the underlying progressive disorder. Method: Functional hemispherectomy was performed in a 4-year-old girl with seizures caused by Alpers' disease. Results: Seizure freedom and an improved quality of life were achieved briefly despite deteriorating neurologic status. Conclusion: Further studies will be needed to confirm the positive benefits of palliative epilepsy surgery in children with progressive neurologic illnesses.