Low‐Grade Glial Neoplasms and Intractable Partial Epilepsy: Efficacy of Surgical Treatment

Summary: We performed a retrospective study of 51 consecutive patients who underwent operation for intractable partial epilepsy related to low‐grade intracerebral neoplasms between 1984 and 1990. All patients had medically refractory partial seizures and a mass lesion identified on neuroimaging studies. Lesionectomy was performed on 17 patients, and 34 had lesion resection and corticectomy. Mean postoperative follow‐up was 4.4 years (range 2–8 years). Sixty‐six percent of patients were seizure‐free, and 88% experienced a significant reduction in seizure frequency. In 16 patients (31%), antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) were successfully discontinued. Twenty‐five of 31 (81%) eligible patients obtained a driver's license after successful operation. Patients with complete tumor resection and no interictal epileptiform activity on postoperative EEG studies had the best operative outcome. Epilepsy surgery can result in long‐term improvement in seizure control and quality of life (QOL) in selected patients with intractable tumor‐related epilepsy. Our results should be useful to clinicians considering treatment options for patients with intractable seizures related to low‐grade intracerebral neoplasms.