Epilepsy Surgery: Factors That Affect Patient Decision-Making in Choosing or Deferring a Procedure

Table 2

Epilepsy characteristics of participants.

	Surgical group (𝑛=23)	Nonsurgical group (𝑛=9)	𝑃 value
Total years with seizures (years)
Median (IQR)	11 (9–21)	14 (10–35)	0.487
Age at onset of seizures (years)
Median (IQR)	22 (13–26)	21 (14–44)	0.425
Years since procedure or decision
Median (IQR)	4 (2–7)	1 (1-1)	0.000
Current number of AEDs being taken
Median (IQR)	1 (1-2)	2 (2-3)	0.082
Total AEDs tried until procedure or decision
Median (IQR)	5 (3–6)	6 (5–7)	0.056
Seizure frequency (per month)			0.287
1–3	6 (26.1%)	4 (44.4%)
4–9	5 (21.7%)	2 (22.2%)
10+	12 (52.2%)	3 (33.3%)
Types of seizures			0.327
Complex partial	12 (52.2%)	2 (22.2%)
Generalized tonic clonic (GTC)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
Simple partial and complex partial	2 (8.7%)	2 (22.%)
Simple partial and GTC	1 (4.3%)	1 (11.1%)
Complex partial and GTC	6 (26.1%)	2 (22.2%)
Simple partial, complex partial, and GTC	2 (8.7%)	2 (22.2%)
Proposed/completed procedure			0.308
Left temporal lobectomy	10 (43.5%)	6 (66.7%)
Another left resection	1 (4.3%)	0 (0%)
Right temporal lobectomy	11 (47.8%)	2 (22.2%)
Another right resection	1 (4.3%)	0 (0%)
Other	0 (0%)	1 (11.1%)
Cause of epilepsy			0.694
Cryptogenic (including mesial temporal sclerosis)	16 (69.6%)	6 (66.7%)
Traumatic brain injury	5 (21.7%)	1 (11.1%)
Congenital brain abnormality	2 (8.7%)	2 (22.2%)

Ordinal data was compared using the Wilcoxen rank-sum test. Categorical data was compared using Fischer’s test. 𝑃 values <0.05 considered significant.