Functional hemispherectomy in children.

Functional hemispherectomy, indicated for the control of pharmacologically refractory seizures, has been used at the Montreal Neurological Hospital since 1974. We have used this technique in 18 children suffering from intractable seizures secondary to conditions such as infantile hemiplegia, chronic encephalitis, head trauma, cerebrovascular accident, brain dysplasia and Sturge-Weber angiomatosis. None has developed superficial cerebral hemosiderosis often seen following the classical anatomical hemispherectomy. Eighty-two per cent (82%) of patients have been seizure-free since hospital discharge while another 11.5% have had at least 80% reduction in their seizure frequency. Most patients have shown an improvement in their intellectual capacity and sociability.