ArticleNeurology2020
Cost-effectiveness of surgery for drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy in the US.
Article in Neurology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Systematic literature review of the humanistic and economic burden of focal epilepsy and primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures in adults.Epilepsia open · 2024Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Systematic Review of Cost-Effectiveness Analysis for Surgical and Neurostimulation Treatments for Drug-Resistant Epilepsy in Adults.Neurology · 2023Pooled it
- Cost-effectiveness of laser interstitial thermal therapy vs. anterior temporal lobectomy for drug-resistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy: A decision analytic model.Epilepsia open · 2026Article
- Cost and clinical outcomes of epilepsy surgery in a Brazilian public hospital: a health economic evaluation.Arquivos de neuro-psiquiatria · 2026Article
- Towards a Multi-sectoral Approach to Population Health: A Scoping Review of Cross-sectoral Evaluations of Health Interventions.Applied health economics and health policy · 2026Review
- Optimizing the diagnostic timing for drug-resistant epilepsy: balancing timeliness and stability with an antiseizure medication waiting period.Therapeutic advances in neurological disorders · 2026Article
- Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery: The Noninvasive Presurgical Evaluation.Pediatric neurosurgery · 2026Review
- Seminars in epileptology: Presurgical epilepsy evaluation.Epileptic disorders : international epilepsy journal with videotape · 2025Review
- Predicting response to neuromodulation therapies in drug-resistant epilepsy using machine learning models: a meta-analysis and systematic review.Bioelectronic medicine · 2025Review
- Can memory mapping via stereo-electroencephalography stimulation predict post-operative memory outcomes? A case report.Journal of neurology · 2025Article
- Stereo-EEG propagating source reconstruction identifies new surgical targets for epilepsy patients.Brain : a journal of neurology · 2025Article
- Factors associated with placebo response rate in randomized controlled trials of antiseizure medications for focal epilepsy.Epilepsia · 2025Article
- Level 4 seizure monitoring unit admissions are associated with reduced long-term health care costs.Epilepsia · 2025Article
- Delays in the diagnosis and surgical treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy: A cohort study.Epilepsia · 2024Article
- Stereotactic Electroencephalogram Recordings in Temporal Lobectomy Patients Demonstrates the Predictive Value of Interictal Cross-Frequency Correlations: A Retrospective Study.Brain sciences · 2024Article
- Early Identification of Candidates for Epilepsy Surgery: A Multicenter, Machine Learning, Prospective Validation Study.Neurology · 2024Article
- Societal costs and quality of life analysis in patients undergoing resective epilepsy surgery: A one-year follow-up.Epilepsy & behavior reports · 2023Article
- Article
- Electrical Wada for pre-surgical memory testing: a case report.Epileptic disorders : international epilepsy journal with videotape · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveSurgery is an effective but costly treatment for many patients with drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy (DR-TLE). We aim to evaluate whether, in the United States, surgery is cost-effective compared to medical management for patients deemed surgical candidates and whether surgical evaluation is cost-effective for patients with DR-TLE in general.
methodsWe use a semi-Markov model to assess the cost-effectiveness of surgery and surgical evaluation over a lifetime horizon. We use second-order Monte Carlo simulations to conduct probabilistic sensitivity analyses to estimate variation in model output. We adopt both health care and societal perspectives, including direct health care costs (e.g., surgery, antiepileptic drugs) and indirect costs (e.g., lost earnings by patients and care providers.) We compare the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio to societal willingness to pay (∼$100,000 per quality-adjusted life-year [QALY]) to determine whether surgery is cost-effective.
resultsEpilepsy surgery is cost-effective compared to medical management in surgically eligible patients by virtue of being cost-saving ($328,000 vs $423,000) and more effective (16.6 vs 13.6 QALY) than medical management in the long run. Surgical evaluation is cost-effective in patients with DR-TLE even if the probability of being deemed a surgical candidate is only 5%. From a societal perspective, surgery becomes cost-effective within 3 years, and 89% of simulations favor surgery over the lifetime horizon.
conclusionFor surgically eligible patients with DR-TLE, surgery is cost-effective. For patients with DR-TLE in general, referral for surgical evaluation (and possible subsequent surgery) is cost-effective. Patients with DR-TLE should be referred for surgical evaluation without hesitation on cost-effectiveness grounds.
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