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The Daily Insight

Are Hemispherectomies still done?

Author

Ava Richardson

Updated on February 18, 2026

Are Hemispherectomies still done?

A hemispherectomy is where half of your child’s brain is either totally or partly removed or disconnected from the rest of the brain. It is a rare surgical procedure done for epilepsy not responsive to medications. It is typically done in children and occasionally in adults.

What happens to the brain after hemispherectomy?

If left untreated, seizures can cause more damage to a child’s brain and disrupt their cognitive development. This can lead to more severe disability. Hemispherectomy can potentially stop the seizures. This can give the brain a chance to reorganize and develop without ongoing disruption.

What happens if you get your frontal lobe removed?

Some potential symptoms of frontal lobe damage can include: loss of movement, either partial (paresis) or complete (paralysis), on the opposite side of the body. difficulty performing tasks that require a sequence of movements. trouble with speech or language (aphasia)

Can epilepsy come back after brain surgery?

Most seizure recurrences are within the first six months after surgery, but sometimes, for reasons that are not completely understood, the seizures come back after many months or even years.

Can a brain be kept alive?

An isolated brain is a brain kept alive in vitro, either by perfusion or by a blood substitute, often an oxygenated solution of various salts, or by submerging the brain in oxygenated artificial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

Why would you need a craniectomy?

A craniectomy is a surgery done to remove a part of your skull in order to relieve pressure in that area when your brain swells. A craniectomy is usually performed after a traumatic brain injury. It’s also done to treat conditions that cause your brain to swell or bleed.

What is the success rate of hemispherectomy?

This study has reviewed the results of hemispherectomy in 33 patients at our hospital. Results have shown an excellent seizure outcome with 52% of children becoming seizure free and a further 39% experiencing >75% reduction in seizure frequency.

Who performs a hemispherectomy?

Complete removal of one hemisphere has some associated complications, so some neurosurgeons prefer to perform a functional hemispherectomy, in which only some sections of the brain are removed and other sections are disconnected.

Can you live without a frontal lobe?

Can you live without your frontal lobe? Technically, you can live without a frontal lobe. However, you would experience a total paralysis of your cognitive abilities and motor control. In short, you wouldn’t be able to reason and form simple thoughts, and you also wouldn’t be able to move.

How long do you take anti seizure medication after brain surgery?

Most people are back to school or work in 4 to 6 weeks. Changes in thinking, social activities and emotions may take longer, depending on what types of problems were present before surgery. Anti-seizure medications will typically remain the same for several months after surgery.

How long is hospital stay for brain surgery?

In most cases, you’ll stay in the hospital for 3 to 7 days after neurosurgery.

What is polymicrogyria in psychology?

Collapse Section Polymicrogyria is a condition characterized by abnormal development of the brain before birth. The surface of the brain normally has many ridges or folds, called gyri. In people with polymicrogyria, the brain develops too many folds, and the folds are unusually small.

What is bilateral frontoparietal polymicrogyria?

Bilateral frontoparietal polymicrogyria specifically affects the frontal and parietal lobes on both sides of the brain (bilateral). MRI in bilateral frontoparietal polymicrogyria patients shows bilateral white matter abnormalities and atrophy of the brain stem and cerebellum (Figure 2) 23).

What is the mildest form of progressive multifocal polymicrogyria?

The mildest form is known as unilateral focal polymicrogyria. This form of the condition affects a relatively small area on one side of the brain. It may cause minor neurological problems, such as mild seizures that can be easily controlled with medication.

What is the difference between a lobectomy and a lobotomy?

Not to be confused with Lobectomy. A lobotomy, or leucotomy, was a form of psychosurgery, a neurosurgical treatment of a mental disorder that involves severing connections in the brain’s prefrontal cortex. Most of the connections to and from the prefrontal cortex, the anterior part of the frontal lobes of the brain, are severed.