Cases of Epilepsy with Severe Hemispheric Lesions

Hemispherectomy was performed by Dandy for the treatment of diffuse hemispheric glioma in 1928 and by McKenzie for refractory epilepsy in 1938. Since then, this procedure has been applied in clinical practice for the treatment of refractory epilepsy associated with severe hemispheric lesions. The procedure has evolved into a variety of techniques, including anatomic hemispherectomy, functional hemispherectomy, and multi-lobe disconnection, etc. Such cases are characterized by varied and complex types of clinical symptoms, frequent seizures and even mostly status epilepticus, poor response to drug therapy, and significant impact on patients’ activities of daily living.