Epilepsy surgery is an option for people whose seizures continue despite trying appropriate anti-seizure medicines. It is considered when the seizures arise from one identifiable area of the brain that can be removed or disconnected safely. It can reduce seizure frequency, and in some patients it brings long-term freedom from seizures.

Evaluation takes time and involves a team. It includes a detailed history, MRI of the brain, EEG and, often, prolonged video EEG recording to capture seizures. Memory and language testing may be done to understand how surgery could affect daily function. In some patients, additional tests are needed to pinpoint the source more exactly.

Not everyone is a suitable candidate. When removal is not possible, other treatments, such as a vagus nerve stimulator, may be considered to reduce seizure frequency.

Epilepsy surgery services at Apex include:

• Surgical Candidacy Review: Assessment of whether medicines have been tried adequately and whether seizures come from a single area so that only suitable patients are taken forward.
• Seizure Focus Localisation: Use of MRI, EEG and prolonged video recording to locate the source of seizures before any operation is planned.
• Resective Surgery: Removal of a small area of brain tissue that triggers seizures, as in temporal lobe epilepsy, while protecting speech, memory and movement.
• Vagus Nerve Stimulation Evaluation: Consideration of an implanted device that sends mild signals through the vagus nerve in the neck for patients who are not candidates for removal surgery.