Seizures After Epilepsy Surgery

Contrary to the prevailing medical understanding, seizures in the weeks following epilepsy surgery signal a greatly increased likelihood that the patient will continue to have seizures.

These findings were the result of a study conducted by researchers at the University of Melbourne (Australia) involving 325 patients who underwent temporal lobe removal (lobectomy) for treatment of epilepsy. This is the most common form of epilepsy surgery. It is in the area where seizures commonly begin and eliminates or reduces seizures in most cases.

"We can speculate that some individuals who undergo this procedure have epilepsy that for some reason is more persistent,” commented lead author Anne M. McIntosh, Ph.D., of the University of Melbourne.

Dr. McIntosh and colleagues found that patients who experienced a seizure in the four weeks following surgery--in the absence of surgery-related triggers such as trauma or swelling-- were eight times more likely to have persistent epilepsy several months later. Still, the researchers noted that many of the patients who have epilepsy recur do have the benefit of reduced seizure frequency. The results were reported in the January 24, 2005, issue of the Annals of Neurology.




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