Hemispherectomy is a surgery performed by a neurosurgeon in which an unhealthy hemisphere of the brain is disconnected or removed, mostly used as a treatment for medically intractable epilepsy that anti-seizure medication cannot control. A functional hemispherectomy is a surgical disconnection of the diseased hemisphere so it can no longer send signals to the rest of the brain and body, while an anatomical hemispherectomy is the actual physical removal of the diseased hemisphere from the skull.
Facts
Partially Attested
Origin YearFirst anatomical hemispherectomy, performed for glioma and hemiplegia; the first for intractable epilepsy was 1938 (McKenzie). Hemispherectomy
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FAQs
How often does hemispherectomy stop the seizures?
About two thirds to four fifths of children were seizure-free in the reports cited.
Published results vary. In a case series of twelve children followed for a mean of 12.7 years after hemispheric disconnection, eight of the twelve (66.7 percent) remained seizure-free, and the authors note that earlier reports describe seizure-free rates of 70 to 80 percent. Three patients in that series who had perioperative complications still had persistent seizures. These figures come from small case series and describe groups, not any one patient's expected result.
Connections
Treats
Hemispherectomy is used for severe epilepsy confined to one cerebral hemisphere.
Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia Foundation
2. Hemispherectomy - Wikipedia
History
The first anatomical hemispherectomy was performed and described in 1928 by American neurosurgeon Walter Dandy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemispherectomy, lead section
Hemispherectomy is a surgery that is performed by a neurosurgeon where an unhealthy hemisphere of the brain is disconnected or removed.
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