Purpose

Epilepsy surgery for pediatric drug-resistant epilepsy has been shown to improve seizure control, enhance patient and family QoL, and reduce mortality. However, diagnostic tools and surgical capacity are less accessible worldwide. The International Society Pediatric Neurosurgery (ISPN) has established a Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery Interest Group (PESIG), aiming to enhance global collaboration in research and educational aspects. The goals of this manuscript are to introduce PESIG and analyze geographical differences of epilepsy surgery and technology availability.

Methods

PESIG was established (2022) following an ISPN executive board decision. Using a standardized form, we surveyed the PESIG members, collecting and analyzing data regarding geographical distribution, and availability of various epilepsy treatment-related technologies.

Results

Two hundred eighty-two members registered in PESIG from 70 countries, over 6 continents, were included. We categorized the countries by GDP as follows: low, lower-medium, upper-medium, and high income.

The most commonly available technology was vagus nerve stimulation 68%. Stereoelectroencephalography was available for 58%. North America had statistically significant greater availability compared to other continents. Europe had greater availability compared to Africa, Asia, and South (Latin) America. Asia had greater availability compared to Africa. High-income countries had statistically significant greater availability compared to other income groups; there was no significant difference between the other income-level subgroups.

Conclusion

There is a clear discrepancy between countries and continents regarding access to epilepsy surgery technologies. This strengthens the need for collaboration between neurologists and neurosurgeons from around the world, to enhance medical education and training, as well as to increase technological availability.

目的

儿童耐药性癫痫的癫痫手术已被证明可以改善癫痫发作控制，提高患者和家庭的生活质量，并降低死亡率。然而，诊断工具和手术能力在全世界范围内都不太容易获得。国际小儿神经外科学会（ISPN）成立了小儿癫痫手术兴趣小组（PESIG），旨在加强研究和教育方面的全球合作。本手稿的目的是介绍 PESIG 并分析癫痫手术和技术可用性的地理差异。

方法

PESIG 根据 ISPN 执行委员会的决定成立（2022 年）。我们使用标准化表格对 PESIG 成员进行了调查，收集并分析了有关地理分布以及各种癫痫治疗相关技术的可用性的数据。

结果

PESIG 包括来自 6 大洲 70 个国家的 282 名注册会员。我们按 GDP 将国家分为以下几类：低收入、中低收入、中高收入和高收入。

最常用的技术是迷走神经刺激，占 68%。 58% 的人可以进行立体脑电图检查。与其他大陆相比，北美的可用性在统计上显着更高。与非洲、亚洲和南（拉丁美洲）相比，欧洲的可用性更高。与非洲相比，亚洲的可用性更高。与其他收入群体相比，高收入国家的可用性在统计上显着更高；其他收入水平亚组之间没有显着差异。

结论

不同国家和各大洲在获得癫痫手术技术方面存在明显差异。这加强了世界各地神经科医生和神经外科医生之间合作的必要性，以加强医学教育和培训，并提高技术可用性。