Long-term electrical stimulation-induced inhibition of partial epilepsy. Case report.

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of long-term continuous cerebrocortical electrical stimulation in the treatment of partial epilepsy. The authors review the case of a 44-year-old man with medically intractable postencephalitic localization-related epilepsy with ictal onset in the primary motor cortex. For 5 years he was treated using patterned subthreshold electrical stimulation of the ictal site. This therapy has successfully eliminated the jacksonian march of cortical excitability and secondary generalization and reduced seizure frequency and intensity with an immediate postictal return of motor function. Over time, the seizure frequency subsided by more than 90%, with the patient showing no adverse features resulting from focal stimulation. The results in this case support the hypothesis that effective and safe long-term modulation of focal epilepsy is possible with focal cerebrocortical electrical stimulation.