Surgery for epilepsy is an option when medications haven’t been successful. Neurosurgeons at the Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Comprehensive Epilepsy Center perform more epilepsy surgeries than at any other center in the region.
Many of our patients have unsuccessfully tried several epilepsy medications, and have been referred to us for surgery. Pre-surgery assessments determine whether surgery is a safe and effective treatment option for your unique case. Our epilepsy team, including epileptologists, neuroscience nurses, neurosurgeons and more, collaborate to decide on the best surgery recommendation.
Offering new operations and the latest advances in care, epilepsy surgery at Barnes-Jewish allows our patients to gain control over seizures with minimal disruption of normal brain function. Our neurosurgeons develop less-invasive surgical techniques that enable pinpoint accuracy when involving specific brain structures.
Determining Your Epilepsy Surgery
Not every epilepsy patient is a candidate for surgery. Only 10 percent of our epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) patients are candidates for epilepsy surgery. Since seizures come in different shapes and sizes, epilepsy is a complex problem to treat. For the 30 percent of patients whose seizures aren’t controlled by antiepileptic medication, epilepsy surgery offers the possibility of seizure control.
As leaders in epilepsy treatment, Barnes-Jewish and Washington University neurosurgeons offer safer surgery for life-changing relief from seizures. We complete a thorough evaluation before surgery, so we are able to identify the brain area affected and avoid other areas that control critical motor, language and memory function. Through advances in medical technology and techniques, epilepsy surgery has become extremely safe, with a rate of serious complications of less than one percent.
Epilepsy Surgery Options at Barnes-Jewish
If you are a candidate for epilepsy surgery, we offer a full range of options, including:
At every stage of your epilepsy journey, Barnes-Jewish uses the latest tools for your best care. Intraoperative MRI (iMRI) and brain mapping help our experts better understand how to best treat your case. Minimally invasive brain laser surgery can eliminate seizures and allow our patients to leave the hospital with one stitch.
Our staff will prepare you before epilepsy surgery, so you will know exactly what to expect. After surgery, you will have follow-up tests and evaluations. A coordinator will walk you through the process and help determine what recovery and rehabilitation services are needed.
To make an appointment with a Washington University epileptologist, neurologist or neurosurgeon at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, call 855.925.0631.