Proposed Criteria for Referral and Evaluation of Children for Epilepsy Surgery: Recommendations of the Subcommission for Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery

• Published in: Epilepsia (Copenhagen) 2006-06, Vol.47 (6), p.952-959
• Main Authors: Cross, J. Helen, Jayakar, Prasanna, Nordli, Doug, Delalande, Olivier, Duchowny, Michael, Wieser, Heinz G., Guerrini, Renzo, Mathern, Gary W.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age Factors; Anticonvulsants. Antiepileptics. Antiparkinson agents; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Childhood epilepsy; Epilepsy - diagnosis; Epilepsy - surgery; Epilepsy syndromes; Headache. Facial pains. Syncopes. Epilepsia. Intracranial hypertension. Brain oedema. Cerebral palsy; Humans; International Cooperation; Medical sciences; Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes); Neurology; Neuropharmacology; Neurosurgery; Neurosurgical Procedures - standards; Outcome Assessment, Health Care - standards; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Preoperative Care - standards; Referral and Consultation - standards; Skull, brain, vascular surgery; Specialties, Surgical - standards; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Surgery Department, Hospital - standards; Surgicenters - standards
• ISSN: 0013-9580; 1528-1167
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1528-1167.2006.00569.x

The Commission on Neurosurgery of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) formed the Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery Subcommission in 1998 and charged it with formulating guidelines and recommendations for epilepsy surgery in childhood. Also endorsed by the Commission on Paediatrics, the following document is the consensus agreement after a meeting of 32 individuals from 12 countries in 2003. The panel agreed that insufficient class 1 evidence exists to recommend practice guidelines at this time. Instead, the panel generated criteria concerning the unique features of pediatric epilepsy patients to justify dedicated resources for specialty pediatric surgical centers, suggested guidelines for physicians for when to refer children with refractory epilepsy, and recommendations on presurgical evaluation and postoperative assessments. The panel also outlined areas of agreement and disagreement on which future research and consensus meetings should focus attention to generate practice guidelines and criteria for pediatric epilepsy surgery centers.