one possible treatment for seizure disorders is resection of the brain where seizures originate.

How are seizures treated?

Treatment for seizures often involves the use of anti-seizure medications. Several options exist for anti-seizure medications. The goal is to find the medicine that works best for you and that causes the fewest side effects. In some cases, your doctor might recommend more than one medication. Finding the right medication and dosage can be complex.

What is brain surgery for seizures?

This is an extreme type of surgery that is only used when medications aren't effective in managing seizures and seizures affect only half of the brain. Many daily functional abilities may be lost after this surgery, but children can often recover those abilities with significant rehabilitation.

What is resective surgery for epilepsy?

Resective surgery, the most common epilepsy surgery, is the removal of a small portion of the brain. The surgeon cuts out brain tissues in the area of the brain where seizures originate, usually the site of a tumor, brain injury or malformation. Resective surgery is most often performed on one of the temporal lobes,...

What part of the brain is cut for seizures?

The surgeon cuts out brain tissues in the area of the brain where seizures occur, usually the site of a tumor, brain injury or malformation. Resective surgery is most often performed on one of the temporal lobes, an area that controls visual memory, language comprehension and emotions.

What is the most common treatment for seizures?

Anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) AEDs are the most commonly used treatment for epilepsy. They help control seizures in around 7 out of 10 of people. AEDs work by changing the levels of chemicals in your brain.

What is the first line treatment for seizure?

For generalised tonic-clonic seizures, sodium valproate is recommended as first-line treatment. If this is unsuitable, lamotrigine is recommended. Carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine can be considered as alternatives.

What part of the brain is cut to treat epilepsy?

Corpus callosotomy is surgery to treat epilepsy seizures when antiseizure medications don't help. The procedure involves cutting a band of fibers (the corpus callosum) in the brain.

Can brain surgery cure seizures?

The most common type of resective surgery is a temporal lobectomy. It's the most successful form of surgery for epilepsy. It may reduce the number of seizures you have while limiting your risk of permanent brain damage.

What medication is given for seizures?

Many medications are used in the treatment of epilepsy and seizures, including:Carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Tegretol, others)Phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek)Valproic acid (Depakene)Oxcarbazepine (Oxtellar, Trileptal)Lamotrigine (Lamictal)Gabapentin (Gralise, Neurontin)Topiramate (Topamax)Phenobarbital.More items...•

What is seizure medicine called?

Medications used to treat epilepsy are called antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). There are more than 30 prescription AEDs on the market, and they're mostly available as oral tablets or capsules.

What part of the brain causes seizures?

The temporal lobes are the areas of the brain that most commonly give rise to seizures. The mesial portion (middle) of both temporal lobes is very important in epilepsy — it is frequently the source of seizures and can be prone to damage or scarring.

Why is split-brain surgery performed?

A corpus callosotomy, sometimes called split-brain surgery, may be performed in people with the most extreme and uncontrollable forms of epilepsy, when frequent seizures affect both sides of the brain.

What is split-brain surgery?

Split-brain surgery, or corpus calloscotomy, is a drastic way of alleviating epileptic seizures, the occurrence of sporadic electrical storms in the brain. The procedure involves severing the corpus callosum, the main bond between the brain's left and right hemispheres.

How is a brain lesion removed?

You will be given general anesthesia, and the neurosurgeon will make an incision in your head. Using a high-speed drill, the surgeon will remove a section of bone from the skull and cut through the brain covering to reach the lesion and remove it. Some tissue surrounding the lesion may also be removed (corticectomy).

How successful is brain surgery for epilepsy?

How successful is epilepsy surgery? Around 70% of people (7 in 10 people) who have temporal lobe surgery find that the surgery stops their seizures and they become seizure-free, and for a further 20% (1 in 5 people) their seizures are reduced.

How can surgical seizures be prevented?

Surgical approaches to manage seizures include:Removing the part of your brain where the seizures start.Disconnecting brain nerve cell communication to stop the spread of seizures to other areas of your brain.Using a laser to heat and kill the nerve cells where the seizures begin.More items...•

What to do if you have epilepsy and no longer control seizures?

If you have reached a point in your epilepsy treatment in which medications no longer control your seizures to the extent you would like, you might consider epilepsy surgery options like a brain resection.

What are the benefits of a seizure medication?

Improvements in both social and cognitive measurements. Reduced risk of seizure emergencies, injuries, and death. Elimination of or reduction in seizure medications. Reduced likelihood of experiencing anxiety and depression. Increased likelihood of returning to work and being able to drive.

What is the term for a temporary opening in the skull?

A craniotomy is a temporary opening in the skull, which allows the surgeon to access the tumor or portion of the brain that requires removal. Brain resection surgery for epilepsy involves removing a small portion of the brain responsible for causing seizures. This area of the brain is referred to as the seizure focus.

What is the brain resection?

For epilepsy patients, brain resection surgery involves removing a small portion of the brain responsible for causing seizures. This area of the brain is referred to as the seizure focus. For brain tumor patients, the goal of brain resection surgery is to remove all or a portion of your brain tumor to alleviate as many symptoms as possible.

How long does it take to recover from brain resection?

Similar to craniotomy recovery, patients typically spend 1-2 days in the ICU after brain resection surgery and then 1-2 days recovering in the hospital before going home. In rare occasions, epilepsy and brain tumor patients who undergo brain resection surgery may need inpatient rehabilitation before going home.

What is the most common type of epilepsy surgery?

Brain resection surgery is the most common type of epilepsy surgery performed. Brain resection surgery is also a treatment option for some brain tumor patients. While medications are always a first line of treatment for epilepsy patients, resection surgery of the brain may provide seizure or symptom relief you have been desiring.

What are the different types of brain resection?

What are the different kinds brain resection surgeries for epilepsy? 1 Temporal lobe resection is the most common type of epilepsy resection surgery and has the highest success rate. Temporal lobe resection is also known as lobotomy surgery as an entire lobe of the brain (temporal lobe in this case) is removed. Temporal lobe epilepsy surgery outcomes are generally positive, as nearly 70% of people who undergo a temporal lobe resection experience no or rare disabling seizures following surgery. In temporal-lobe epilepsy, surgery is superior to prolonged medical therapy. 2 Frontal lobe resection is the second most common type of epilepsy surgery. Although this type of lobotomy for epilepsy does not have as high of success rates as high as temporal lobe procedures, studies show that up to 50% of patients are seizure-free after surgery. 3 Parietal and/or occipital lobe resection provides the highest chance of success in patients who have a structural abnormality, such as a tumor or scar tissue, that causes seizures.

What is a seizure?

A seizure is an abnormal, unregulated electrical discharge that occurs within the brain’s cortical gray matter and transiently interrupts normal brain function. A seizure typically causes altered awareness, abnormal sensations, focal involuntary movements, or convulsions (widespread violent involuntary contraction of voluntary muscles). Diagnosis may be clinical and involves results of neuroimaging, laboratory testing, and EEG for new-onset seizures or levels of antiseizure drugs (anticonvulsants) for previously diagnosed seizure disorders. Treatment includes elimination of the cause if possible, antiseizure drugs, and surgery (if the drugs are ineffective).

How long does it take for a seizure to subside?

Motor symptoms subside after 1 to 2 minutes, but confusion and disorientation may continue for another 1 or 2 minutes. Postictal amnesia is common. Patients may lash out if restrained during the seizure or while recovering consciousness if the seizure generalizes. However, unprovoked aggressive behavior is unusual.

What is an epileptic spasm?

Epileptic spasms (formerly, infantile spasms) Generalized-onset nonmotor seizures may be further classified by type of seizure (defined by the earliest prominent feature): Typical absence seizures. Atypical absence seizures (eg, with less abrupt onset or termination or with abnormal changes in tone) Myoclonic seizures.

What is a focal onset seizure?

Seizures are usually classified as unknown-onset seizures when information about onset is lacking. If clinicians acquire more information about the seizures , these seizures may be reclassified as focal-onset or generalized-onset.

What age do seizures occur?

Common causes of seizures (see table Causes of Seizures) vary by age of onset: Before age 2: Fever, hereditary or congenital neurologic disorders, birth injuries, and inherited or acquired metabolic disorders. Ages 2 to 14: Idiopathic seizure disorders.

What is epilepsy disorder?

Epilepsy (also called epileptic seizure disorder) is a chronic brain disorder characterized by recurrent ( ≥ 2) seizures that are unprovoked (ie, not related to reversible stressors) and that occur > 24 hours apart.

Can fever cause seizures?

In children, fever can provoke a seizure ( febrile seizures ). Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (pseudoseizures) are symptoms that simulate seizures in patients with psychiatric disorders but that do not involve an abnormal electrical discharge in the brain.

What is the most common surgical treatment for epilepsy?

Focal Resection. The most common surgical treatment for epilepsy involves removing (resecting) the small area of brain tissue where the patient's seizures origina te. The goal is to reduce the frequency of seizures or stop them completely.

How to close scalp after seizure focus?

Once the seizure focus is removed, the surgeon will replace the dura and bone and close the scalp using stitches or staples. The night of the surgery is spent in the intensive care unit. By the next day patients should be able to eat and get up and walk with assistance.

What is the purpose of a neuropsychologist before surgery?

In addition to imaging tests, most patients will meet with our neuropsychologist before surgery to go through a series of mental exercises that provide information on their language, memory and comprehension skills. This information helps the epilepsy team understand both where your seizures originate and how surgery may affect you. The testing is non-judgmental and done in a comfortable, welcoming environment by a neuropsychologist who specializes in epilepsy.

How long do you stay in the EMU for epilepsy?

Patients generally stay in the EMU for three to five days. This allows us to determine your particular type of epilepsy and where your seizures may arise, if they originate in a single area of the brain.

How long does it take for a patient to tire after a brain surgery?

Most people feel back to normal and resume their usual activities about four to six weeks after surgery. Most patients are put on steroids after surgery to minimize brain swelling.

What is the goal of epilepsy treatment?

The goal of epilepsy treatment is to determine the best possible therapy to stop the seizures while minimizing side effects. The good news for epilepsy patients is that available treatment methods — including medical, dietary and surgical — are usually very effective at controlling seizures. Medical treatment: The first ...

What is the first treatment for epilepsy?

Medical treatment: The first and most common treatment for epilepsy is typically seizure medications. If the patient does not respond well to one medication, another may be tried until the right type is found. Medication proves successful in controlling epileptic seizures in roughly 70 percent of patients.

What is the condition that causes seizures?

Epilepsy & Seizures. Epilepsy is a complex neurological disorder in which bursts of electrical activity in the brain cause recurrent and unprovoked epileptic seizures. The condition affects 3.4 million people of all ages in the United States. Seizures may impact thinking, muscle control, movement, speech, vision or awareness.

What is Michigan's comprehensive epilepsy program?

The Michigan Medicine Comprehensive Epilepsy Program is a designated Level 4 referral center by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers. This designation certifies that the Michigan Comprehensive Epilepsy Program provides the highest level of medical and surgical diagnostic and treatment options for epilepsy patients. In addition, our Comprehensive Epilepsy Program works to identify any medical, psychological or social complication that arises as a result of the seizure disorder. To learn more, visit the About the Michigan Medicine Comprehensive Epilepsy Program page.

How many medications are used to treat epileptic seizures?

Medication proves successful in controlling epileptic seizures in roughly 70 percent of patients. There are more than 20 medications to treat seizures, and the use of these medicines is dictated by such factors as where the seizures originate, frequency of seizures and the patient’s age.

What are the effects of seizures on the brain?

Seizures may impact thinking, muscle control, movement, speech, vision or awareness. They are usually brief, but can be frightening to patients and anyone around them. Epilepsy is classified into two main categories: Generalized: Patients with generalized epilepsy typically have seizures that begin on both sides of the brain.

What is generalized epilepsy?

Generalized epilepsy is primarily genetic and is usually treated with medications. However, some generalized epilepsy patients are treated with a surgical procedure known as vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). Localized (also known as focal): Patients with localized epilepsy experience seizures that develop in a particular region of the brain.

What is the procedure that removes an area of the brain where seizures occur?

Epilepsy surgery is a procedure that removes an area of the brain where seizures occur. Epilepsy surgery is most effective when seizures always occur in a single location in the brain. Epilepsy surgery is not the first line of treatment but is considered when at least two anti-seizure medications have failed to control seizures.

What is the goal of epilepsy surgery?

The goal of epilepsy surgery is to stop seizures or limit their severity with or without the use of medications. Poorly controlled epilepsy can result in a number of complications and health risks, including the following: Physical injuries during a seizure. Drowning, if the seizure occurs during a bath or swimming.

Why do you need an EEG monitor for epilepsy?

An EEG monitor also may be recording your brain waves during the operation to better localize the part of your brain where your seizures start. Epilepsy surgery is usually performed during general anesthesia, and you'll be unconscious during the procedure.

What is the procedure to remove the hemisphere of the brain?

Hemispherectomy is a procedure to remove one side (hemisphere) of the folded gray matter of the brain (cerebral cortex). This surgery is generally reserved for children who experience seizures that originate from multiple sites in one hemisphere, usually the result of a condition present at birth or in early infancy.

What is epileptic seizures?

Epileptic seizures result from abnormal activity of certain brain cells (neurons). The type of surgery depends on the location of the neurons that start the seizure and the age of the patient. Types of surgery include the following:

How long does it take to recover from epilepsy surgery?

The total hospital stay for most epilepsy surgeries is usually about three or four days.

How long after temporal lobe surgery can you have a seizure?

Studies suggest that if you do not have a seizure in the first year after temporal lobe surgery — with medication — the likelihood of being seizure-free at two years is 87% to 90%. If you have not had a seizure in two years, the likelihood of being seizure-free is 95% at five years and 82% at 10 years.

What are the two types of seizures?

Typically, seizures belong in one of two basic categories: primary generalized seizures and partial seizures. The difference between these types is in how they begin.

What is the diagnosis of epilepsy?

A doctor makes his or her epilepsy diagnosis based on symptoms, physical signs and the results of such tests as an electroencephalogram (EEG), computed tomography (CT or CAT scan) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It is essential that the type of epilepsy and the type of seizures both are diagnosed properly.

What percentage of epilepsy patients have intractable seizures?

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 20 percent of epilepsy patients have intractable seizures — seizures that do not respond to treatment. The reasons why epilepsy begins are different for people of different ages.

What is epilepsy disorder?

Check out the new videos at the bottom of the page. Epilepsy is a disorder of the brain characterized by repeated seizures. A seizure is usually defined as a sudden alteration of behavior due to a temporary change in the electrical functioning of the brain.

How does epilepsy affect the brain?

In epilepsy the brain's electrical rhythms have a tendency to become imbalanced, resulting in recurrent seizures.

How many people have epilepsy?

According to the Epilepsy Foundation, epilepsy affects three million people in the U.S. and 50 million worldwide. Epileptic seizures may be tied to a brain injury or genetics, but for 70 percent of epilepsy patients, the cause is unknown.

What causes epilepsy in children?

Children may be born with a defect in the structure of their brain or they may suffer a head injury or infection that causes their epilepsy. Severe head injury is the most common known cause in young adults. For middle-age individuals, strokes, tumors and injuries are more frequent catalysts.

Epileptic seizure disorder (ESD)

Epilepsy or ESD is a chronic neurological condition that causes someone to experience two or more seizures that are unprovoked, meaning they are not related to stressors or temporary disorders. Seizures resulting from ESD also occur more than 24 hours apart.

Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures

Also called pseudoseizures, psychogenic nonepileptic seizures cause similar symptoms to seizures in people, but they are not due to abnormal electrical brain activity.

Nonepileptic seizures

These are seizures that a certain stressing factor or temporary condition provokes. Some causes of nonepileptic seizures include:

Generalized-onset seizures

Generalized-onset seizures originate in networks of brain nerve cells in both hemispheres, or sides, of the brain. Most people experience altered awareness, often to the point of losing consciousness. Generalized-onset seizures are then classified based on the symptoms they cause and whether they affect movement.

Focalized-onset, or focal, seizures

Focal seizures originate in one side of the brain and may affect a small part or larger parts of the body. As with generalized-onset seizures, focal seizures tend to affect muscle movement and tone but usually only on one side of the body. Focal seizures can spread to involve both sides of the brain, called progression to tonic-clonic seizure.

Unknown-onset seizures

Doctors classify seizures as unknown-onset seizures if they do not know how the seizure occurred or developed. As more information becomes available, a doctor may diagnose the person with focal or generalized seizures.

Diagnosis

Treatment

Clinical Trials

Coping and Support

See more on mayoclinic.org

Preparing For Your Appointment