The Surgical and Cognitive Outcomes of Focal Cortical Dysplasia

Focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) is the major cause of intractable focal epilepsy in childhood leading to epilepsy surgery. The overall seizure freedom after surgery ranges between 50–75% at 2 years after surgery and the long-term seizure freedom remain relatively stable. Seizure outcome after surgery depends on a various factors such as pathologic etiologies, extent of lesion, and types of surgery. Therefore, seizure outcome after surgery for FCD should be analyzed carefully considering cohorts’ characteristics. Studies of pediatric epilepsy surgery emphasize the early surgical intervention for a better cognition. Early surgical intervention and cessation of seizure activity are important for children with intractable epilepsy. However, there are limited data on the cognitive outcome after surgery in pediatric FCD, requiring further investigation. This paper reviews the seizure and cognitive outcomes of epilepsy surgery for FCD in children. Several prognostic factors influencing seizure outcome after surgery will be discussed in detail.