Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 9, 2026
Performing Behavioral Tasks in Subjects with Intracranial Electrodes
Published on: October 2, 2014
Epilepsy surgery in pediatric intractable epilepsy with destructive encephalopathy
So Young Park1, Hye Eun Kwon2, Hoon-Chul Kang1
1Department of Pediatric Neurology, Pediatric Epilepsy Clinics, Severance Children's Hospital, Epilepsy Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine;
Insights
Epilepsy surgery effectively controlled seizures in children with destructive encephalopathy. Parents reported high satisfaction with surgical outcomes and improvements in their children's cognitive and behavior issues.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Neurosurgery
- Epileptology
Background:
- Destructive encephalopathy often leads to medically intractable seizures in children.
- Epilepsy surgery is a potential treatment for severe cases unresponsive to medication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review clinical features, surgical outcomes, and parental satisfaction in children with destructive encephalopathy undergoing epilepsy surgery.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of epilepsy surgery for intractable seizures in this population.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 48 pediatric patients who underwent epilepsy surgery between October 2003 and August 2011.
- Assessment of functional outcomes and parental satisfaction at least 1 year post-surgery.
Main Results:
- Epileptic encephalopathy, including Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and infantile spasms, was common.
- Hypoxic ischemic injury was the leading etiology, followed by CNS infections and head trauma.
- 33.3% of patients achieved seizure freedom, and 87.5% of parents reported satisfaction with surgical outcomes. Even in non-seizure-free cases, 77.8% of parents were satisfied with cognitive and behavioral improvements.
Conclusions:
- Epilepsy surgery is an effective treatment for controlling seizures in children with destructive encephalopathy.
- Parental satisfaction extends beyond seizure control to encompass improvements in cognitive and behavioral aspects.
Background And Purpose:
The aim of the current study is to review the clinical features, surgery outcomes and parental satisfaction of children with destructive encephalopathy who underwent epilepsy surgery due to medically intractable seizures.
Methods:
48 patients who underwent epilepsy surgery from October 2003 to August 2011 at Severance Children's Hospital have been reviewed. The survey was conducted for functional outcomes and parental satisfaction at least 1 year after the surgery.
Results:
Epileptic encephalopathy including Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and infantile spasms was more prevalent than symptomatic focal epilepsy. Hypoxic ischemic injury accounted for most of the underlying etiology of the destructive encephalpathy, followed by central nervous system infection and head trauma. 27 patients (56.3%) underwent resective surgery and 21 patients (43.7%) underwent palliative surgery. 16 patients (33.3%) achieved seizure free and 27 parents (87.5%) reported satisfaction with the outcome of their children's epilepsy surgery. In addition, 14 parents (77.8 %) whose children were not seizure free reported satisfaction with their children's improvement in cognitive and behavior issues.
Conclusions:
Epilepsy surgery in destructive encephalopathy was effective for controlling seizures. Parents reported satisfaction not only with the surgical outcomes, but also with improvement of cognitive and behavior issues.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Epilepsy and Seizures: Overview
Various factors can trigger epilepsy, including genetic factors, brain damage, metabolic causes, and unknown etiology. Diagnosis of epilepsy involves electroencephalography (EEG), which...
01:13Seizures: Classification
Seizures are typically classified into two main categories: focal and generalized seizures.
Focal Seizures
Focal seizures originate from specific regions of the brain. These seizures are further sub-classified into two types:
01:14Antiepileptic Drugs: Glutamate Antagonists