Preoperative treatment and neurosurgical treatment of pharmacoresistant epilepsy

Abstract:

Epilepsy is the most common chronic neurological disease which can be adequately controlled with antiepileptic therapy in the majority of patients. However, about one third of patients find antiepileptic therapy to be ineffective and those patients are considered to be pharmacoresistant. During the last few decades, with the help of the advancement in science and technology and the accumulation of increasing knowledge about mechanisms of pathogenesis of epilepsy, pharmacoresistant patients undergo successful surgical treatment more often. Operative procedure is the final act in the long, detailed process of presurgical evaluation. Not only is it the most demanding evaluation in medicine but, in addition to technical support, requires a highly specialized multidisciplinary approach.

Key words:
epilepsy; epilepsy surgery; pharmacoresistancy, presurgical evaluation