Surgical Treatment of Intractable Frontal Lobe Epilepsy / 대한간질학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Frontal lobe epilepsy is difficult to be managed with medical or surgical treatment. So the authors analyzed and reviewed the clinical results of the frontal lobe epilepsy patients who underwent surgical treatment. METHODS: From 1996 to 2004, Thirty-nine patients were treated surgically. The authors reviewed retrospectively the radiological, clinical and pathological data of the patients. The surgical outcome was classified using Engel's classification. RESULTS: The mean follow-up period is 70.5 (+/-29.7) months. The preoperative MR image was normal in 19 cases and abnormal in 20 cases. There were 11 encephalomalacias, 4 cortical dysplasias and 5 brain tumors. The postoperative pathological finding was normal in 5 cases and abnormal finding in 34. There were 20 cortical dysplasias, 4 encephalomalacias, 3 gliosises, 2 fibrous scars, 2 cavernous malformations, 1 dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor, 1 paragonimiasis and 1 venous thrombosis. The postoperative surgical outcomes were as follows Class I, 41%; Class II, 25.6%; Class III, 20.5%; Class IV, 12.8%. CONCLUSIONS: The surgical outcomes of frontal lobe epilepsy have improved, compared with previous series. The pathological abnormality was observed in large portion of the frontal lobe epilepsy patients.