ABSTRACT
For patients with epilepsy who undergo surgery, the main objective is to maintain effective levels of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) despite the many changes and stresses that the patient will undergo before, during, and after the operation. Oral intake of medication may be impossible during the pre- and parts of the postoperative period, particularly in patients with abdominal surgery who develop ileus for several days postoperatively. The postoperative period generally constitutes a problem only in those patients having abdominal surgery or in those who develop ileus postoperatively and are therefore not able to return to oral medication. Surgery involving the brain itself creates a different set of concerns, most important of which is the increased risk of developing epilepsy for patients who have had a procedure involving the cerebral cortex. A study of 161 patients operated for intracranial aneurysms identified the following risk factors for developing epilepsy after surgery: seizures at onset, preoperative deficit, rupture at operation, and focal postoperative deficit.
