Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 26, 2026

Author Spotlight: Advancing Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery in Children Through Novel Biomarkers and Enhanced Localization
Published on: September 20, 2024
Treatment of Focal Status Epilepticus plus Epileptic Spasms with Leukotomy in an Infant with TSC 1 Mutation: A Case
Insights
Epilepsy surgery can effectively treat drug-resistant epilepsy in infants. This case study shows successful seizure freedom and resolution of epileptic encephalopathy after surgical intervention in an infant.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Epileptology
- Neurosurgery
Background:
- Focal status epilepticus and catastrophic epilepsy are significant concerns in infants.
- Epilepsy surgery offers a potential cure for carefully selected infants with epilepsy.
Background:
Focal status epilepticus and catastrophic epilepsy are not rare in infants. Epilepsy surgery can be safely done in selected infants to cure epilepsy.
Patient Description:
We report on an infant who began having drug-resistant status epilepticus at 2 weeks of age and developed epileptic spasms. We discuss in detail how the clinical and electroencephalographic data were used to reach a consensus for epilepsy surgery and why a particular surgical approach was preferred over other alternatives.
Method:
Presurgical evaluation consisted of 32-channel scalp video EEG using the standard 10-20 system of electrodes, 3-Tesla brain magnetic resonance imaging, and 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography. The surgery consisted of resection of the extensive epileptogenic lesion, in addition to disconnection of the left frontal lobe anterior to the motor strip.
Result:
The infant underwent epilepsy surgery at three months of age. At two-year follow up, she remained seizure free, with no focal motor deficit and the epileptic encephalopathy resolved. The disconnected left frontal lobe shows epileptiform discharges restricted to the disconnected tissue.
Conclusion:
We highlight the importance of epilepsy surgery in selected infants to achieve seizure freedom and to reverse epileptic encephalopathy. In the process, we demonstrate how epileptic spasms, although clinically and electrographically generalized, resolved after disconnecting the epileptogenic zone.
More Related Videos
07:35Behavioral Characterization of Pentylenetetrazole-induced Seizures: Moving Beyond the Racine Scale
Published on: July 8, 2025
10:22Interictal High Frequency Oscillations Detected with Simultaneous Magnetoencephalography and Electroencephalography as Biomarker of Pediatric Epilepsy
Published on: December 6, 2016
Related Concept Videos
Antiepileptic Drugs: Modulators of Neurotransmitter Release Mediated by SV2A Protein
SV2A is a transmembrane glycoprotein located predominantly in the brain, modulating the release of neurotransmitters for neuronal communication. Both levetiracetam and brivaracetam exhibit a high affinity for...
Seizures: 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:
Epilepsy 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...
Antiepileptic Drugs: Potassium Channel Activators
Ezogabine has gained approval as an adjunctive treatment...
Antiepileptic Drugs: GABAergic Pathway Potentiators
The key GABA pathway potentiators used in epilepsy management are as follows.
Benzodiazepines are a well-known class of drugs used for...
Antiepileptic Drugs: Glutamate Antagonists