Predictors of IQ after Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery

Epilepsy affects between 0.5% and 1% of the population and starts in childhood in two-thirds of patients. Approximately 30% of patients with epilepsy who are less than 18 years of age have medically refractory seizures [1, 2]. Seizures may adversely impact intellectual functioning [3-6] and therefore good seizure control is of critical importance. Compared with the mature brain, the impact of seizures on the developing brain may be more detrimental by slowing or halting development, or leading to derailment from the normal developmental trajectory. Therefore, it has been hypothesized that the reduction or elimination of seizures can lead to cognitive improvements.Seizure freedom may be possible in some with anti-seizure medications alone, but polypharmacy and high doses can lead to additional cognitive complications. In select cases, medically refractory patients may benefit from surgical intervention as treatment of their epilepsy. Epilepsy surgery may result in seizure freedom by anatomically disrupt neural networks necessary for cognitive processing.