Electrical stimulation and language.

Electrical stimulation has been used for over half a century in clinical settings to facilitate the surgical treatment of patients with intractable seizures and cortical structural lesions. It should be employed as the final result of a stepwise process in patient management but, when called for, can be very accurate in localizing critical functional areas. We discuss the use of this technique in patient evaluation, with an emphasis on the evaluation of patients with seizure disorders.