Seizure Control Following Palliative Resective Surgery for Intractable Epilepsy-A Pilot Study

BACKGROUND: Patients with intractable epilepsy who have bilateral epileptic foci may not qualify for curative epilepsy surgery. In some cases palliative resection may be undertaken with a goal to decrease seizure frequency and improve quality of life. Here we present data on the outcome of palliative epilepsy surgery in children. METHODS: We reviewed medical charts of children who underwent palliative resection for intractable epilepsy during the years 1999-2013 at Children's Hospital of Michigan. The palliative intent of resection was declared preoperatively. Outcome was assessed in terms of seizure reduction. RESULTS: There were 18 patients (11 males, median age of surgery was 3.5 years [range 0.5-16 years]). The median duration of follow-up after surgery was 12.5 months (range 6-60 months). Hemispherectomy was the most commonly performed palliative resection (nine patients), followed by lobectomy (six patients), multilobar resection (one patient), and tuberectomy (two patients). Reduction in seizure frequency was observed in 11 patients, with eight patients achieving seizure freedom on antiepileptic drugs and three with >50% reduction in seizure frequency. Transient improvement in seizure frequency occurred in two patients, whereas there was no benefit in five patients. CONCLUSIONS: Beneficial effects of epilepsy surgery may be realized in carefully selected situations wherein the most epileptogenic focus is resected to reduce seizure burden and improve quality of life.