Objective: To explore the clinical effectiveness of hemispherectomy for patients with intractable epilepsy.
Methods: Thirty-six patients with intractable epilepsy were treated by modified hemispherectomy and their clinical results were followed up after operation.
Results: The seizures of the 36 patients were effectively controlled and 34 (94.4%) were thoroughly controlled. Meanwhile, the dysfunction of the central nervous system in 30 patients (83.3%) was aggravated, and 5 patients (13.9%) showed better improvement than before. Neuropsychological assessment revealed much improvement in the patients.
Conclusions: Modified hemispherectomy is advisable for patients with wide-range lesion of the half-brain associated with intractable epilepsy.