Developmental outcome after corpus callosotomy for infants and young children with drug-resistant epilepsy

Aim: To examine the developmental and seizure outcomes after corpus callosotomy (CC) in early childhood. Methods: We retrospectively identified 106 patients who underwent CC for drug-resistant epilepsy before the age of 6 years, at the Nagasaki Medical Center, between July 2002 and July 2016. Patients' developmental outcomes were evaluated one year after CC using the Kinder Infant Development Scale. Results: The mean preoperative developmental quotient (DQ) was 25.0 (standard deviation [SD], 20.8), and the mean difference between preoperative DQ and one-year postoperative DQ was -1.6 points (SD, 11.6). However, 42.5% of patients had a mean DQ increase of 6.5 points (SD, 6.4), one year after CC from that before surgery. Factors related to the improvement in postoperative DQ were 'low preoperative DQ', 'developmental gain 1 month postoperatively', and 'postoperative seizure-free state'. Approximately 21.7% of patients were seizure-free 1 year after CC. Interpretation: Performing CC, in infancy and early childhood for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy and severe developmental impairment, was associated with improved development in 42.5% of patients. Remission of seizures, even if only for a short period, contributed to developmental improvement. From a developmental perspective, CC for drug-resistant epilepsy in early childhood is an effective treatment. (C) 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study aimed to investigate the developmental and seizure outcomes after corpus callosotomy in early childhood, finding that 42.5% of patients showed improved development postoperatively. Factors such as low preoperative developmental quotient, developmental gain one month after surgery, and postoperative seizure-free state were related to the improvement in postoperative developmental quotient.