The role of surgery in childhood epilepsy

It is now established that children can undergo surgery safely and will significantly benefit from the excision of epileptic tissue or the interruption of neural pathways propagating seizure activity. Temporal or extratemporal resection often eliminates seizures originating from locally abnormal brain regions, whereas generalized seizure activity or bilaterally independent foci can be successfully palliated by surgically disconnecting the cerebral hemispheres. The indications, techniques and preoperative studies for epilepsy surgery in children are under active investigation at many centers.