Two Studies Predict Surgery Outcomes for High-Risk Epilepsy Patients
Embargoed for release until December 7, 2014 9:00 AM PT / 12:00 PM ET
SEATTLE, December 7, 2014 – Anti-epileptic drugs control seizures and improve quality of life for most
people with epilepsy. But for those who find medical treatment ineffective or intolerable, brain surgery
is sometimes the next best option. Two studies to be presented at the American Epilepsy Society’s (AES)
68th Annual Meeting explore the outcomes of brain surgery for children with severe epilepsy.
One study (Platform Session A.05) created a decision analysis model to compare how two treatment
strategies –medical treatment alone versus brain surgery – influenced the life expectancy of pediatric
patients with refractory epilepsy. Researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital developed a decision
analysis model with data from the literature. Their findings suggest that surgery increases the odds of a
longer life expectancy, compared with medical treatment alone. For example, in a cohort of 10-year old
patients, epilepsy surgery in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy yielded 55.2 years of life expectancy,
while medical treatment yielded 49.3 years of life expectancy. In extratemporal epilepsy, surgery yielded
54.9 years of life expectancy while medical treatment only yielded 49.3 years. Authors note that the
findings suggest that brain surgery is significantly more advantageous than medical treatment alone for
eligible children with refractory epilepsy.
A second study (Poster 1.362) examined the effectiveness of resective epilepsy surgery on seizure
frequency in children with refractory epilepsy with features of Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS).
Researchers studied 36 patients with LGS who had epilepsy surgery at the Cleveland Clinic for focal,
lobar, multilobar resection or hemispherectomy between June 1, 2002 and June 31, 2012. Patients in
this study developed epilepsy due to brain lesions or injuries sustained before they were born (17),
immediately before or after they were born (10), or between the ages of 2 months and 3 years (9). At
the time of surgery, the patients ranged in age from newborn to 18 years, and were experiencing
multiple seizures per day.
At follow-up visits conducted 6 months to 6.6 years after surgery, 19 patients were seizure-free. Of the
patients still experiencing seizures, two entered late remission 2 years after surgery and five became
almost seizure-free, with an average of nine seizures per month. At the last follow-up visit, 24 patients
were either seizure-free or had experienced a major reduction in seizure frequency.
“In the past, children with features of Lennox Gastatut syndrome were not considered to be candidates
for epilepsy surgery that involves removal of the seizure focus,” said Dr. Ahsan Moosa Naduvil, M.D.,
Staff, section of pediatric epilepsy, Cleveland Clinic Epilepsy Center. “Our study confirms that selected
children with early brain lesions may be rendered seizure free with epilepsy surgery.”
The authors performed a survival analysis based on the duration of time between seizures, and
determined the chance of seizure freedom as 60.1% at 12 months, 51% at 24 months and 40.8% at 30
months or more. According to the authors, the findings suggest that resective epilepsy surgery is an
effective treatment option for selected children with LGS secondary to early focal brain lesion or injury.
Both research studies will be provided in full at the American Epilepsy Society Annual Meeting in Seattle,
December 5-9. Abstracts referenced above can be found on the American Epilepsy Society’s Annual
Meeting Page.
Editor’s Note: Authors of these studies will be available at a press briefing on December 7, 2014 at 9:00
AM (PT)/ 12:00 PM (ET), in the onsite press room, Room 304, Level 3 of the Washington State
Convention Center. The call-in number for off-site journalists is 1-605-475-4000, passcode 521653#.
About the American Epilepsy Society
The American Epilepsy Society (AES) is a non-profit medical and scientific society. Our individual
members are professionals engaged in both research and clinical care for people with epilepsy from
private practice, academia and government. For more than 75 years, AES has been unlocking the
potential of the clinical and research community by creating a dynamic global forum where
professionals can share, learn and grow. AES champions the use of sound science and clinical care
through the exchange of knowledge, by providing education and by furthering the advancement of the
profession.
Information Contacts:
Ellen Cupo, Big Voice Communications, (203) 314-6545, [email protected]
Natalie Judd, Big Voice Communications, (203) 605-9515, [email protected]