The Palliative Nature of Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery and Our Procedures.

BACKGROUND

Destructive surgical treatment for drug-resistant epilepsy may lead to complete seizure relief. In cases where a surgical cure is unavailable, epilepsy surgery can still alleviate seizure burden by decreasing reliance on medication, decreasing the severity or frequency of seizures, or decreasing the frequency of status epilepticus.

SUMMARY: In this article, we discuss the role of palliative epilepsy surgical techniques in pediatric patients, relevant syndromes characterized by refractory epilepsy, and pertinent procedures and considerations. We review both destructive and neuromodulatory therapies, the current evidence supporting their use, and discuss future indications and expansion of techniques.

KEY MESSAGE: Our expanding epilepsy surgery armamentarium has the potential to provide significant palliative therapy for our pediatric patients and significantly improve their quality of life.