Contribution to the discussion on stereotaxic surgery for epilepsies

Stereotaxic lesions of different structures and pathways (thalamus, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, Forel's fields) supposedly involved in generation and/or propagation of generalized discharges, have not been demonstrated to affect significantly the epileptic symptomatology. On the contrary the stereotaxic approach to the surgery of deep temporal (hippocampal, amigdalar) foci, is a valuable alternative to temporal lobectomy, provided that the target is defined according to a systematic clinic-electrophysiological study.