Surgical treatment for perirolandic lesional epilepsy

Our purpose was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of surgical treatment for perirolandic lesional epilepsy. We analyzed the records of 14 consecutive patients who underwent a stereotactic lesionectomy for intractable partial epilepsy between 1985 and 1994. All patients had a neuroimaging-identified lesion in the perirolandic cortex. The mean duration of follow-up was 6 years (range 1-11 years). Thirteen patients (93%) had a significant improvement in seizure tendency. Eleven patients (78%) were rendered seizure-free. Morbidity occurred in only one patient, who experienced an increased monoparesis after surgery. Stereotactic lesionectomy is an effective surgical strategy in patients with perirolandic lesional epilepsy. The recent development of functional brain imaging using subtraction ictal single-photon emission computed tomography co-registered with volumetric magnetic resonance imaging has been shown to be a reliable indicator of epileptic brain tissue that may significantly alter the preoperative evaluation in patients with extratemporal seizures.