Pediatric candidates for temporal lobe epilepsy surgery

Abstract

Temporal lobectomy is an under-valued and effective therapy for selected children with temporal lobe seizures. This article details three components of the identification and evaluation of such children. The ictal symptoms and signs remains an essential component. This includes an aura suggesting limbic system involvement, and the nature of automatisms and other motor phenomena which may have lateralising value. Electroencephalography continues to accurately identify a principally epileptogenic focus in children and adults. The value of high quality magnetic resonance imaging is emphasized. Invasive studies are required in only a minority of cases. Several studies have revealed that 73-100% of carefully selected children receive benefit from this procedure whereas significant neurosurgical complications rarely occur.