Abstract
A brief overview is given on the concepts and methods of presurgical evaluation, as well as on the principles and techniques of surgical treatment of epilepsies. Lesion-oriented surgery is differentiated from epilepsy-oriented lesional surgery and from surgery for epilepsy sensu stricto. The rationale for ‘curative’ and ‘palliative’ interventions is discussed. Selective amygdalohippocampectomy, anterior temporal lobe resection, extratemporal topectomies, subtotal functional hemispherectomies, stereotactic interventions, anterior corpus callosum section and multiple subpial transection are briefly described. Results of a survey done on the occasion of the 2nd International Palm Desert Conference on the ‘Surgical Treatment of the Epilepsies’ are summarized.