Hemispherectomy for intractable epilepsy in adults: the first reported series.
Hemispherectomy for intractable unihemispheric epilepsy (IUE) has long been established in pediatric patients. This study reports the first series examining hemispherectomy exclusively in adult patients (>18 years old). Nine adults with IUE underwent hemispherectomy at the University of Minnesota. All patients had unilateral hemiplegia and visual field loss. Seven patients (77.8%) were Engel class I/II at last follow-up. Five (83.3%) of the six patients with >30 years of follow-up were seizure free. No surgery-related mortality, hydrocephalus, or superficial cerebral hemosiderosis occurred. Hemispherectomy is an effective procedure in appropriately selected adult patients, resulting in excellent long-term seizure control and no mortality.
McClelland
Shearwood
S
Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. mccl0285@umn.edu
Maxwell
Robert E
RE
D000328:Adult; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006429:Hemiplegia / Q000503:physiopathology; D038421:Hemispherectomy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011182:Postoperative Care; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000502:physiology