Surgical treatment of status epilepticus: a palliative approach

Although status epilepticus (SE) does not resemble a domain for neurosurgical indications in single occasions, a microneurosurgical procedure in patients with catastrophic epilepsy and status epilepticus should be considered as an ultimate ratio-choice in these patients. From a personal series of >600 epilepsy surgery procedures in a period from August 1, 1993 until March 13, 2013, 22 patients were identified with catastrophic epilepsy and all of them with at least one episode of status epilepticus. Five of the patients had surgery under ongoing status epilepticus. Twelve patients became seizure-free, two patients had >90% seizure reduction, seven patients >50% seizure reduction, and one patient was unchanged. No surgery-related complications in terms of permanent morbidity were ascertained in the presented series. In the subgroup of the five patients operated in the acute phase of SE one patient became seizure-free (Engel class. I), one showed Engel class II, two Engel class III, and one Engel class IV with no worthwhile improvement. Patients with catastrophic epilepsy including status epilepticus can benefit from resective epilepsy surgery, even with incomplete resection of the epileptogenic lesion.