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Long-Term Outcomes of Epilepsy Surgery in Adults and Children pp 115–124Cite as

Long-Term Psychiatric and Behavior Outcomes in Children Following Epilepsy Surgery

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Abstract

Epilepsy surgery is undoubtedly effective in reducing seizure frequency, and in many cases stopping seizures, in carefully selected children with drug-resistant epilepsy. However, seizure control clearly is not the only outcome from epilepsy surgery, and there are other outcomes which are arguably more important in some children including improved development, behavior, and quality of life.

Mental health problems are common in children with epilepsy (CWE), and are very frequently seen in children undergoing epilepsy surgery. Following surgery, there can be improvements in the mental health of some children, but there are others for whom there is no improvement, or indeed deterioration in their preexisting psychiatric symptoms. Furthermore, there are children who develop new psychiatric problems postoperatively. In this chapter, mental health problems in children undergoing epilepsy surgery will be reviewed and psychiatric outcome considered, with particular emphasis on what is known about long-term outcomes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Paediatric Neurosciences, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

    Ailsa McLellan MBChB, FRCP, FRCPCH

Authors
  1. Ailsa McLellan MBChB, FRCP, FRCPCH
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Correspondence to Ailsa McLellan MBChB, FRCP, FRCPCH .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Sahlgrenska University Hospital and Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Sahlgrenska Academy at Gothenburg University, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Kristina Malmgren

  2. Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, United Kingdom

    Sallie Baxendale

  3. UCL-Institute of Child Health, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London and Young Epilepsy, Lingfield, Surrey, United Kingdom

    J. Helen Cross

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© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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McLellan, A. (2015). Long-Term Psychiatric and Behavior Outcomes in Children Following Epilepsy Surgery. In: Malmgren, K., Baxendale, S., Cross, J. (eds) Long-Term Outcomes of Epilepsy Surgery in Adults and Children. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17783-0_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17783-0_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-17782-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-17783-0

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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