Epilepsy surgery: chance for a cure.

Epilepsy is a chronic disorder with medical, as well as psychosocial, consequences. Many patients with epilepsy are well controlled by medication and are able to tolerate the side effects of the antiepileptic drugs needed to control their disorder. However, there are many people who are either unable to gain seizure freedom with medications or are intolerant of the side effects of their drugs. In some of these patients, particularly those with mesial temporal sclerosis, surgery offers a viable treatment alternative and a chance for a cure rather than just lifelong management.