SURGICAL-TREATMENT FOR PARTIAL EPILEPSY AMONG NORWEGIAN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

We conducted a retrospective longitudinal self-controlled study of 64 patients aged 4-19 years treated with resective surgery for partial ep ilepsy from 1952 to 1988. Approximately 60% of patients experienced >9 5% reduction in seizure frequency, and 70% had worthwhile improvement of at least 75% reduction. Seizure relief was more frequent among pati ents who underwent operation after 1978, and significant differences b y time period of operation were noted for those with temporal lobe exc isions and patients with normal tissue histology. The region of resect ion and the age at treatment did not provide significant information w ith respect to seizure outcome. Postresection electrocorticography (EC oG) and EEG of the first postoperative year predicted later seizure ou tcome. Small neurologic deficits were more common among patients resec ted in the temporal lobe than in patients resected in the frontal lobe . Half of the patients with preoperative unilateral focal activity and a third of those with bilateral focal activity had normal EEG postope ratively. One fourth had discontinued antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy . As expected, long-term mortality was significantly higher than the m ortality of the general population. Seven patients died during followu p. Two male patients committed suicide.