This is the best therapeutic option for patients who, despite the different pharmacological treatments in multidrug therapy, do not manage to have the intensity and/or frequency of their epileptic crises controlled. In the case of children, early intervention is fundamental so that brain growth enables the recovery of functions still being developed. These kinds of functional surgery procedures include the implantation of vagus nerve stimulation, temporal lobectomy, extratemporal resection and hemispherotomy.

Surgery for epilepsy may be: 

• Resective: This is the most common surgery for epilepsy and consists of removing a small part of the brain. The neurosurgeon removes brain tissues in the area of the brain in which the convulsions originate, generally the site of a tumour, a brain lesion or a malformation. In the majority of cases, resective surgery is carried out on one of the temporal lobes, an area that controls visual memory, language understanding and emotions.
• Disconnection; This is when the surgery consists of removing one side of the brain (hemisphrectomy) or the set of nerves that connect the right and left hemispheres of the brain (callosotomy). Generally, this surgery is reserved for children who suffer from convulsions that are very difficult to control as the origin of the anomalous electrical activity is highly varied and far-reaching.