title: Refractory epilepsy in children with brain tumors. The urgency of neurosurgery.
abstract: In order to verify indications for surgery, 27 patients with refractory epileptic seizures and brain tumor, aged up to 19 years at the time of surgery, were studied between 1996 and 2013 and followed up for at least one year. The mean interval between the onset of seizures and the diagnosis of the tumor was 3.6 years, and from diagnosis to the surgery, 18 months. The location of the tumor was in the temporal lobe in 16, with ganglioglioma and dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors being the most frequent. Among the patients, 92.5% and 90.4% were seizure-free in the first and fifth year after surgery, respectively. Twelve of 16 children were successful in becoming drug-free, with complete withdrawal by 3.2 years. Surgery proved to be potentially curative and safe in these cases, suggesting that the tumor diagnosis and surgery cannot be postponed.
authors.affiliation: Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Departamento de Neurociências e Ciências do Comportamento, Ribeirão Preto SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Marília Rosa Abtibol
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Bernardino
authors.affiliation: Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Departamento de Neurociências e Ciências do Comportamento, Ribeirão Preto SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Funayama
authors.affiliation: Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Departamento de Neurociências e Ciências do Comportamento, Ribeirão Preto SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Ana Paula Andrade
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Hamad
authors.affiliation: Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Departamento de Neurociências e Ciências do Comportamento, Ribeirão Preto SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Hélio
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.affiliation: Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Departamento de Neurociências e Ciências do Comportamento, Ribeirão Preto SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Américo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sakamoto
authors.affiliation: Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Departamento de Neurociências e Ciências do Comportamento, Ribeirão Preto SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Thome
authors.affiliation: Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Departamento de Neurociências e Ciências do Comportamento, Ribeirão Preto SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Vera Cristina
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Terra
authors.affiliation: Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Departamento de Neurociências e Ciências do Comportamento, Ribeirão Preto SP, Brasil.|Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Departamento de Neuroradiologia, Seção de Ressonância Magnética, Ribeirão Preto SP, Brasil.|Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Hospital das Clínicas, Centro de Ciências das Imagens e Física Médica, Ribeirão Preto SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Antonio Carlos Dos
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Santos
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D018303:Ganglioglioma / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018302:Neoplasms, Neuroepithelial / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D000069471:Neurosurgeons; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011300:Preoperative Care; D012189:Retrospective Studies