Neuronavigation in microsurgery for medically refractory epilepsy

Objective To investigate the value of neuronavigation in microsurgery for medically refractory epilepsy. Methods The clinical data of 137 patients with medically refractory epilepsy who underwent epilepsy surgery with neuronavigation in our hospital from September 2008 to September 2016 were analyzed retrospectively. In these patients, 17 accepted temporal parietal occipital dissection, 23 accepted corpus callosum subtotal dissection, 11 accepted functional cerebral hemispheric dissection, and 86 accepted epilepsy foci resection. The surgical efficacies were analyzed. Results All patients uneventfully underwent the operations as planned. The mean follow-up period was 52 months (12-108 months). Engel grade I was achieved in 71 patients, grade II in 32, grade III in 25, and grade IV in 9 patients. The total satisfaction rate reached to 75.18% (103/137), including 100% patients(11/11) accepted functional cerebral hemispheric dissection. There were no severe operative complications. Conclusion Neuronavigation helps to locate intracranial targets, accurately resect the epileptogenic foci or disconnect the epilepsy conduction pathway, preserve the neurologic function, and avoid the operative complications. Key words: Neuronavigation; Refractory epilepsy; Microsurgery