[Diagnosis of Drug-Resistant Epilepsy and Actions to be Taken]

Drug-resistant epilepsy is defined when epileptic seizures are not controlled for over a year despite adequate use of two or more anti-epileptic drugs. Patients with drug-resistant epilepsy should be referred to a specialized epilepsy center without delay. The epilepsy centers provide long-term video-EEG monitoring and epilepsy surgery as essential medical functions. The diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy are reviewed through an interdisciplinary care team approach. A surgical indication is discussed and determined after a comprehensive evaluation of patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. The number of epilepsy surgeries performed per population in Japan is approximately 40% of that in the United States. However, the number of epilepsy centers and the number of video-EEGs performed remain low. It is expected to facilitate patients' access to specialized care in Japan.