Subdural electrodes in the evaluation for epilepsy surgery in children and adults.

To evaluate the utility and safety of chronic extraoperative subdural EEG and functional localization studies in children compared to adults, we studied 61 patients each of whom had similar evaluations for epilepsy surgery, regardless of age. The 23 children and adolescents (3 to 18 years old) and the 38 adults (20 to 41 years old) each had several days and nights of extraoperative EEG from scalp and chronically-implanted subdural electrodes, and the same percentage of children and adults also had functional localization studies including cortical electrical stimulation. The methods and results of these studies and of the subsequent resections did not differ between the two groups, and they both had similar rate of complications and similar incidence of good outcome. The subdural technique was as effective and well-tolerated in children and adolescents as in adults. Other invasive EEG techniques have not yet been systematically compared between children and adults, but the subdural technique, at least, appears to be suitable for patients over a wide age range.