Predictors of Seizure Outcome after Repeat Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery: Reasons for Failure, Sex, Electrophysiology, and Temporal Lobe Surgery

Considering that seizure freedom is one of the most important goals in the treatment of epilepsy, repeat epilepsy surgery could be considered for patients who continue to experience drug-resistant seizures after epilepsy surgery. However, the chance of seizure freedom is reported to be below 50% after reoperation for failed epilepsy surgery. This study aimed to elucidate the predictive factors for seizure outcomes after repeat pediatric epilepsy surgery. In all, 39 pediatric patients who underwent repeat curative epilepsy surgery between 2008 and 2020 at our institution were retrospectively studied. The relationship between preoperative clinical factors and postoperative seizure freedom at the last follow-up was statistically evaluated. The mean age at the first surgery was 5.5 years (0–16). The etiology of epilepsy was malformation of cortical development in 33 patients. The average time to seizure recurrence after the first surgery was 6.4 months (range, 0–26 months). In all, 16 patients (41.0%) achieved seizure freedom after the second surgery. Seven patients underwent a third surgery, and three (42.9%) achieved seizure freedom. Overall, 19 patients achieved seizure freedom after repeat epilepsy surgery (48.7%). Female sex, surgical failure due to technical limitations, congruent electroencephalography (EEG) findings, lesional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and Rt-sided surgery were predictive of seizure freedom, and surgery limited to the temporal lobe was predictive of residual seizures, as determined in the multivariate analysis. The reoperation of failed epilepsy surgery is challenging. Consideration of the above predictive factors can be helpful in deciding whether to reoperate on pediatric patients whose initial surgical intervention failed.