Surgery as a Treatment for Medically Intractable Epilepsy

Launched by NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE (NINDS) · Jan 7, 2011

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying the use of surgery to treat people, both children and adults, who have epilepsy that cannot be controlled by medication. This type of epilepsy is known as drug-resistant epilepsy. The goal of the study is to see how effective surgery can be in reducing or even stopping seizures for those who qualify for the procedure. Researchers believe that many patients can experience significant relief from their seizures through surgery, and they want to gather data to better understand how epilepsy and its treatments work.

To be eligible for this trial, participants need to be at least 8 years old and must have either simple or complex partial seizures that haven’t responded to medication. During the trial, participants will undergo various tests to evaluate their condition, including brain scans and monitoring of brain activity. If surgery is deemed appropriate, it will involve carefully removing or treating the area of the brain causing the seizures while preserving important functions like speech and movement. After the surgery, participants will have follow-up visits and imaging studies to monitor their recovery and the effectiveness of the treatment.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• * INCLUSION CRITERIA:
• To be eligible for entry into the study, candidates must:
• • 1. Be 8 years of age or older with drug resistant epilepsy or tumor related epilepsy.
• EXCLUSION CRITERIA:
• Candidates will be excluded if they:
• • 1. Are unable or unwilling to give informed consent, or have a parent able to provide informed consent if a minor, to the research procedures.