Department of Neurosurgery
Epilepsy Surgery

The Epilepsy Surgery and Brain Mapping Program

The Epilepsy Surgery and Brain Mapping Program at The University of Mississippi Medical Center is a comprehensive service offering diagnosis and management of adult and pediatric patients with intractable epilepsy. The multidisciplinary team is comprised of experts in Epileptology, Adult and Pediatric Neurosurgery, Neurology, Neuropsychology, Neuropharmacology and Neurophysiology. Patients with medically intractable seizures or with structural lesions involving eloquent brain regions may be considered for invasive monitoring and surgical intervention.

Preoperative Evaluation
The preoperative evaluation of the patient with epilepsy is designed to determine the following:

  • Does the patient have a single type of seizure or multiple types?
  • Which side of the brain does the seizure(s) originate from?
  • Within one side of the brain, which lobe does the seizure(s) originate from?
  • Are the seizures due to a distinct structural lesion (tumor, cortical dysplasia, mesial temporal sclerosis)?
  • What is the patient's current level of personal and social functioning?
  • Where in the patient's brain are speech and memory localized?
These questions are answered in Phase I and Phase II evaluations:

Phase I
  • Cognitive and functional assessment
  • Video EEG recording of seizures
  • Seizure induction techniques
  • Magnetic resonance imaging including functional MRI
  • SPECT brain imaging
  • WADA testing for language and memory localization
Phase II
  • Invasive monitoring with depth or subdural grid/strip electrodes.
  • Cortical stimulation for further language, memory, and motor functional mapping
The information obtained in Phase I and II evaluations is reviewed by the multidisciplinary epilepsy team to determine if epilepsy surgery is a reasonable treatment option. This constitutes Phase III. The surgical techniques available at The University of Mississippi Medical Center for epilepsy include:
  • Standard temporal lobectomy
  • Tailored temporal lobectomy
  • Selective amygdalohippocampectomy
  • Selective cortical resection and lesionectomy
  • Corpus callosotomy
  • Hemispherectomy (anatomic, functional, tailored)
  • Multiple subpial transections
  • Vagal nerve stimulation
  • Microsurgical resection of brain tumors and vascular malformations

Epilepsy surgery is facilitated by the use of state-of-the-art techniques and equipment including the ultrasonic surgical aspirator, a variety of image-guided microscope navigation systems, and IMRI.


Following surgery, Phase IV is comprised of long-term follow-up, neuropsychological testing and counseling, and physical, occupational, and speech therapy.

For additional information, please contact:
The University of Mississippi Medical Center
Department of Neurosurgery
2500 North State Street
Jackson, Mississippi 39216
(601) 984-5700