Epilepsy surgery may improve cognitive development

AORN Journal,  July, 2005  

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Fifty preschool-aged children who underwent surgical treatment for epilepsy showed significant improvements in overall cognitive development, according to an April 21, 2005, news release from Blackwell Publishing, publishers of the journal Epilepsia. Researchers studied intellectual development in children ages three to seven years in the few years after they underwent epilepsy surgery.

Children with severe epilepsy are at high risk for developing a significant men[at handicap. The study data showed that children who became free of seizures after surgery exhibited improved cognitive development and may gain some abilities that they did not have before surgery. Twelve months after surgery, 82% of the children studied showed improvements in development, and three children showed gains of more than 15 IQ points. Researchers believe that this tong-term cognitive outcome study shows that children with a shorter duration of epilepsy, more Localized etiologies, and a seizure-free outcome have the best chance of improving their cognitive function two to three years after a successful surgical procedure. Additional data are needed to determine the ideal timing for surgical treatment.

Breakthrough for Kids With Epilepsy: Surgery Reduces Seizures and Increases IQ (news release, Malden, Mass: Blackwell Publishing, April 21, 2005).

COPYRIGHT 2005 Association of Operating Room Nurses, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group