Epilepsy Surgery Working Group

The scientific focus of the Epilepsy Surgery working group is on improving surgical techniques in epilepsy surgery in order to increase postoperative seizure freedom.

The research activities of the Epilepsy Surgery working group enjoy a very high international reputation. Vienna is the seat of the International Society for Epilepsy Surgery (IESS – www.iessnet.com), and Univ. Prof. DDr. Karl Rössler and Assoc. Prof. PD Dr. Christian Dorfer, MBA are members of its founding committee. In addition, Assoc. Prof. PD Dr. Christian Dorfer currently serves as the president of this society.

Within the Epilepsy Surgery working group, surgical techniques are both applied and further developed, with Vienna being regarded worldwide as a center of excellence. These techniques include selective amygdalohippocampectomy, vertical hemispherotomy, posterior quadrantectomy/disconnection, and many others. Some of these procedures are currently offered exclusively at our clinic within Austria.

The Epilepsy Surgery working group is part of numerous international research projects, such as investigations into factors influencing seizure freedom rates following hemispheric procedures. These efforts have already resulted in a number of high-impact publications. Many of the world’s most renowned epilepsy centers are part of this consortium, including the University of California, Los Angeles (Mattel Children’s Hospital and Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, USA), the University of Toronto (Department of Surgery, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada), and the Université de Montréal, Quebec, Canada.

Another area of research focuses on the planning and placement of electrodes for invasive EEG monitoring. In collaboration with the working group of Prof. John Duncan (National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery – University College London Hospitals), existing advantages as well as potential improvements through semi-automated planning software for the implantation of depth electrodes have already been investigated.

Through the contributions of the epilepsy surgery research group, important findings in basic science have also been achieved, such as the distribution of GABA receptors in the amygdala and hippocampus. Furthermore, the ability to record signals directly from the cortex during neurosurgical procedures has enabled the collection of valuable electrophysiological data that may help redefine resection boundaries in the future.

A major objective is to provide answers to the controversially discussed question regarding the role of intraoperative electrocorticography in modern neurosurgery. Future projects addressing this very issue and aiming to develop improved methods for identifying epileptogenic zones are already in planning.