Resective Epilepsy Surgery for Drug-Resistant Focal Epilepsy

Epilepsy surgery is indicated for patients with focal seizures who do not respond to appropriate antiepileptic drug therapy consisting of 2 or more medications.

To review resective surgery outcomes for focal epilepsy, to identify which patients benefit the most, and to discuss why epilepsy surgery may not be universally accepted. EVIDENCE REVIEW: Medline and Cochrane databases were searched between January 1993 and June 2014 for randomized clinical trials, meta-analyses, systematic reviews, and large retrospective case series (>300 patients) using Medical Subject Headings and indexed text terms. Fifty-five articles were included. Subpopulations and prognostic factors were identified. Systematic reviews for cognitive, psychiatric, quality-of-life, and psychosocial outcomes were included.