The evolution of epilepsy surgery

This review traces the evolution of epilepsy surgery from its early beginnings in the 20th century with the development of neurophysiology, and later the identification of pathology in surgical specimens, to the tremendous boost given by direct brain imaging in the late 20th century. This resulted in the sophisticated methods of presurgical investigation, surgical techniques, and postsurgery care available from the millennium. In parallel, functional surgery, which modifies the nervous system's behaviour, available throughout, has attained a greater place by the use of stimulation.