Surgery

When seizures cannot be controlled by medications or control can be achieved only at the cost of severe and unacceptable adverse effects, surgery is an alternative. Epilepsy surgery has an excellent chance of completely controlling seizures and its absolute risk is less than that of uncontrolled epilepsy. Modern brain imaging and non-invasive neurophysiologic analysis of normal and abnormal brain function have allowed an understanding of a person’s epilepsy never before possible. Neurosurgery has evolved and benefited from advanced technology and a growing understanding of complex brain function, making surgery of the brain safer than ever before. By considering and comparing the risks of recurrent seizures and the usual progression of epilepsy over the patient’s lifetime to the risks of epilepsy surgery, epilepsy surgery, which can completely control seizures, is in the long run less risky than uncontrolled seizures.

However, the decision to pursue surgery to manage epilepsy is a complex one. It requires individualized and detailed analysis of the patient’s work up data with discussion of specific details as they relate to that patient. This is accomplished by the collective consideration of individual cases by the specialized members of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center.

At the NYU Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, we provide our patients with state-of-the-art technology and a multi-faceted, expert team of health care professionals from technicians to neurosurgeons. Our dedication to our patients’ qualit of life is the driving force behind our commitment and our success. As the largest epilepsy center in the country, we perform over 230 cases each year and our success rate has consistently surpassed the national average. We recognize how overwhelming neurosurgery can be and strive to be a source of information and comfort to our patients.