Anatomical hemispherectomy for intractable seizures: excellent seizure control, low morbidity and no superficial cerebral haemosiderosis.
OBJECTIVE
This current study was performed to evaluate whether superficial cerebral haemosiderosis (SCH) is still a complication of modern day anatomical hemispherectomy.


METHODS
We report a 13-year institutional experience with anatomical hemispherectomy for intractable epilepsy. Seizure control at a mean follow-up interval of 7 years was 83%. Though one patient died post-operatively from a non-neurosurgical complication, mortality was otherwise zero and morbidity minimal. The much-described complication of SCH following anatomical hemispherectomy was non-existent. We explain the history of SCH as a complication of anatomical hemispherectomy, and the measures that are presently taken to prevent it.


CONCLUSIONS
We suggest that the importance of SCH in modern epilepsy surgery is probably over-emphasised.
Department of Neurosurgery, Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital NHS Trust, Alder Hey and the Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery NHS Trust, Eaton Road, Liverpool, L12 2AP, UK. dfobstl@hotmail.com
Donncha F
DF
O'Brien
Surajit
S
Basu
Dawn H
DH
Williams
Paul L
PL
May
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D038421:Hemispherectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D006486:Hemosiderosis / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012640:Seizures / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*