Surgery to remove part of your brain may be an option if:

• AEDs aren't controlling your seizures
• tests show that your seizures are caused by a problem in a small part of your brain that can be removed without causing serious effects

In these cases, there's a good chance that your seizures could stop completely after surgery.

If your epilepsy is poorly controlled after trying several AEDs, you may be referred to a specialist epilepsy centre to see if surgery might be possible.

This will usually involve having several tests, such as:

• brain scans
• an electroencephalogram (EEG) – a test of your brain's electrical activity
• tests of your memory, learning abilities and mental health

The results of these tests will help you and your specialist decide if surgery is an option for you, and what the result of surgery might be.

Surgery for epilepsy is usually carried out under general anesthetic, where you're asleep.

The surgeon makes a small cut in your scalp and creates an opening in your skull so they can remove the affected part of the brain. The openings in your skull and scalp are closed at the end of the operation.

It's likely to take a few weeks or months for you to feel back to normal after surgery. Your seizures may not stop straight away, so you might need to keep taking AEDs for a year or two.

There's a risk of complications from surgery, such as problems with your memory, mood or vision. These problems may improve over time, or they may be permanent.

Before having surgery, make sure you talk to your surgeon about the possible risks.