Author Affiliations: Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts (Dr Schomer); Department of Emergency Medicine, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, and David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California (Dr Lewis).
Epilepsy, a common chronic neurological disorder, literally means “recurrent seizures” and affects approximately 1% to 1.5% of the population.1 Approximately 30% of individuals with epilepsy continue to experience seizures despite using antiepileptic drugs (AEDs).2 Many patients have serious adverse effects from the use of AEDs. Those with refractory epilepsy are forced to endure the risk of sudden unexpected (unexplained) death from epilepsy or premature death from other causes.3,4
Schomer DL, Lewis RJ. Stopping Seizures Early and the Surgical Epilepsy Trial That Stopped Even Earlier. JAMA. 2012;307(9):966–968. doi:10.1001/jama.2012.251
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