Epilepsy surgery in people with intellectual disability – English Version

In patients with refractory epilepsy, evaluation of epilepsy surgery should be part of the diagnostic work-up. Epilepsy and refractory epilepsy are common in people with intellectual disability. Therefore, epilepsy surgery with its chances of success and its risks has to be discussed. The presurgical diagnostic procedures may have to be adapted to the patientʼs cognitive and emotional abilities. Whether people with intellectual disabilities experience postoperative seizure freedom less frequently, has yet to be determined. Patients with genetic epileptic encephalopathies (particularly channelopathies) as well as non-lesional patients usually are not good surgical candidates. Neurocognitive functions usually do not suffer after epilepsy surgery in patients with intellectual disability. Even nonresective epilepsy surgery may be carried out with good outcome both in children and adult patients. Therefore, epilepsy surgery is an important tool in epilepsy care for people with intellectual disability.