EVALUATION OF CHILDREN FOR EPILEPSY SURGERY

Surgical management of refractory epilepsy in childhood is a viable treatment option available for many children. Ideally, this treatment should be applied to appropriate candidates prior to adulthood to prevent them from becoming "psychosocial invalids." The pediatrician is instrumental in identifying potential candidates for epilepsy surgery and referring them to a tertiary-care epilepsy center. Few detrimental long-term cognitive or behavioral deficits occur if the surgery is uncomplicated. The cost of the presurgical evaluation and surgical treatment varies from $25,000 to $100,000, depending on the preoperative work-up required.