What Types of Surgical Procedures are Performed for Epilepsy?
• Procedures to Identify the Seizure Focus: The seizure focus is the area in the brain from which seizures originate. Even seizures that quickly generalize to involve the whole brain often have a source where the seizures start. If this source can be identified, then theoretically removal of that focus can help control the seizures. While in some cases a discrete and obvious lesion in the brain can be identified on imaging (such as a brain MRI, it can be difficult to identify the focus or confirm that all the seizures are coming from one specific part of the brain. Because epilepsy surgery is much more effective when a seizure focus can be identified, great care is usually taken to identify this focus prior to considering surgery. Therefore, some preliminary procedures are used to identify and confirm the seizure focus. Non-invasive testing is usually first performed in an attempt to identify the source of seizures. This can include many forms of tests and imaging including, but not li
