Neurologists, neurosurgeons, neuropsychologists, electroencephalographers, and other specialists meet together in order to decide best treatment for each patient. If an individual is determined to be a good candidate for epilepsy surgery, it will be offered. The team will then decide if additional tests are required before surgery is performed. The angiogram with Wada is required for all patients before epilepsy surgery takes place. Temporal Lobectomy Seizures can originate from any of the four lobes of the brain, but complex partial seizures most often begin in the temporal lobes.
Temporal lobectomy is the most common type of epilepsy surgery.
If seizures originate in the frontal lobes, the parietal lobes, or the occipital lobes, operations can also be performed to remove the seizure focus. Usually removal of a small area of brain tissue is sufficient to control or reduce the number or frequency of seizure events. During VNST, a small disk is surgically implanted under a patient's collarbone. When leads from the disk are wrapped around the left vagus nerve in the patient's neck, electrical signals are relayed to the brain, helping to control seizure activity. Once the device is implanted, it is programmed to deliver stimulation typically every five minutes for 30 seconds.