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Treatment

Hemispherectomy

Surgical Procedure

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 Year
1928 2
First anatomical hemispherectomy, performed for glioma and hemiplegia; the first for intractable epilepsy was 1938 (McKenzie).
Classification
Status
Standard of Care 1
Connections

Treats

Epilepsy, Conditions

Hemispherectomy is used for severe epilepsy confined to one cerebral hemisphere.

Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia Foundationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemispherectomy, lead section
Quote, 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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2. Hemispherectomy - Wikipedia
History
Quote, History
The first anatomical hemispherectomy was performed and described in 1928 by American neurosurgeon Walter Dandy.
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