Epilepsy Surgery
The Penn Epilepsy Center
offers patients with difficult-to-manage epilepsy
a comprehensive, individualized evaluation and
a wide variety of surgical treatments. In selected
cases, we perform specialized electroencephalography
(EEG) studies with depth, subdural and grid electrodes to locate the
area where seizures originate. Gordon H. Baltuch, MD, PhD and Timothy H. Lucas, MD, PhD,
are neurosurgeons with expertise in epilepsy surgery and
perform resective surgery, resection of the corpus
callosum for atonic seizures and implantation
of vagal nerve stimulators.
Epilepsy centers have been performing surgery
for more than 60 years. When performed by a qualified
neurosurgeon on appropriately selected patients,
epilepsy surgery often can eliminate seizures.
Surgical treatment involves identifying and removing
the tissue that is causing seizures without damaging
normal function. The objectives of surgical evaluation
are to identify the area of the brain that is
responsible for generating recurring seizures
and to prove that it can be removed without causing
unacceptable neurologic or cognitive loss.
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