We studied the association between electrical stimulation mapping (ESM) with a visual naming task and post-operative neuropsychological outcomes after pediatric epilepsy surgery. Methods: Children who underwent epilepsy surgery, having pre-and 1-year post-surgery neuropsychological evaluation (NPE) available, were included. NPE scores were transformed using principal components (PC) analysis. The relationship between post-surgical PC scores, adjusted for pre-surgery PC scores, and ESM was analyzed. Clinical variables influencing this relationship were also sought. Results: One hundred and four children (89 patients > 5 years-old, and 15 patients 3−5 years-old) were included. Among children > 5 years-of-age, a significant effect of language ESM was observed on all 3 post-surgery PC scores adjusted for respective pre-surgery PC scores. Specifically, only 30 % patients who underwent language ESM had a decrease in PC1 scores ≥1-year after epilepsy surgery, compared to 68 % those who did not undergo language ESM (p = 0.001). Seizure outcomes, age at the time of surgery, predominant seizure type, and family history of epilepsy were other significant determinants of post-surgical PC scores including a change in PC scores from pre-surgery baseline. Combinations of pre-surgical variables were able to predict post-surgical PC scores with high specificity. In children aged 3−5 years, no significant effect of language ESM was seen on postsurgery PC scores adjusted for respective pre-surgery PC scores. Conclusions: Speech/language ESM should be performed more widely in patients > 5 years-of-age undergoing epilepsy surgery. Also, more efficient brain mapping techniques and language paradigms are needed for younger children.
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