Epilepsy affects people of all ages, gender, and socio-economic status.

Epilepsy affects people of any age, gender, and race or ethnicity. Years of uncontrolled epilepsy can lead to cognitive decline or death, and increases the burden of epilepsy on society by reducing the likelihood that epilepsy patients will lead a productive, independent life. Fortunately, a randomized controlled trial has shown that focal epilepsy surgery is more effective and less costly than medical therapy and results in increased quality-of-life.

Unfortunately, there is the notion that epilepsy surgery is under utilized and the average time between onset of seizures and surgery is 20 years. Promoting utilization of epilepsy surgery is a way to improve patient’s quality of life by ensuring that they are receiving the best possible care. To achieve this goal, a user-friendly tool has been developed and validated to assist physicians in identifying patients ≥5 years old with focal epilepsy who should be referred for a surgical evaluation. For more information on how the tool was developed, please click here.