In affiliation with the UCLA Seizure Disorder Center, our program focuses on evaluating and treating people with seizures using the most modern techniques available and with the benefit of expertise that dates back more than 35 years. In many cases the seizures originate in a small area deep in the temporal lobe on one side of the brain. A patient with classic temporal lobe epilepsy shows a damaged right hippocampus in this MRI slice, face forward, parallel with the plane of the face. Modern MRI techniques reveal these lesions when they are still small, allowing early treatment and avoiding years of seizures and other symptoms.
Seizures originate in the area of the lesion and a narrow margin surrounding it.
Eight percent of patients become seizure-free when they have the lesion resected together with a minimum of surrounding tissue. In the past surgical treatment has been difficult in these cases. By using intracranial electrodes to locate the seizure focus and to map essential motor function, a resection can be performed that is effective in completely controlling seizures in the majority of cases. Seizures arising in the frontal, parietal or occipital cortical areas can be localized, but often with more difficulty. The rapid spread of seizure activity in the brain means the seizures are often convulsive.