Epilepsy surgery in children, with special attention to focal cortical resections

Epilepsy surgery is an important alternative for children and adolescents with medically intractable epilepsy. Advances in imaging have allowed the visualization of epileptogenic regions, including cortical dysplasia. The presurgical evaluation will likely become less invasive as imaging technology improves. Long-term development is a critical outcome measure, in addition to seizure control. The long-term prognosis after epilepsy surgery may be related to factors other than seizure control, including the timing of the intervention and the cause of the epilepsy. It may be useful to independently analyze children based on cause, and further studies examining the long-term outcome should become feasible as surgical experience grows.