Subdural grid placement surgery for patients with epilepsy
The brain is one of the most complicated structures in the world. Doing surgery on the brain requires careful planning. The purpose of subdural grid placement surgery is to help surgeons create a plan for a second surgery that removes areas of the brain causing seizures.
During subdural grid placement surgery, subdural grids, which are strips of polyurethane containing electrode discs, are placed over and around areas in the brain suspected to be linked to a child’s seizures. After the surgery, the patient is observed. Special equipment helps the medical team map what happens in the brain when a seizure occurs. After observation, physicians have a clearer picture of the relationship between the areas of the brain that should be preserved and the seizure-causing areas that should be removed.
The information gathered is used for a second surgery, where the grids are removed along with the area of the brain causing the epilepsy.
The pediatric epilepsy unit at Children’s is entirely devoted to treating children with epilepsy. Children’s has the largest pediatric epilepsy center in the U.S.