Introduction

Medical management with anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) is the first-line intervention for patients with epilepsy. However, 30-40% of patients have seizures that cannot be adequately controlled by AEDs.¹ Drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) is diagnosed when seizures persist after two or more appropriate AED trials.² DRE is associated with impaired quality of life as well as higher rates of depression, anxiety, suicidality, and long-term mortality.^3,4 As a group, patients with DRE account for ~80% of all epilepsy-related costs in the US.^5,6

Surgical resection of the epileptogenic zone is the most effective treatment option for controlling seizures and improving life quality in patients with DRE.⁷ Several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and meta-analyses demonstrate that epilepsy su...