Duke Health neurosurgeons perform a type of epilepsy surgery called cortical resection in children and adults with epilepsy. During the procedure, surgeons remove the outermost portion of brain tissue called the cerebral cortex to reduce seizure activity.
When seizures originate in the cerebral cortex, a clearly defined source may not always be found. Sometimes the cortex has been damaged by brain trauma or an infection, or a portion of it may have formed abnormally during development. Removing it can reduce the number or severity of seizures.
A cortical resection may be performed in addition to a lesionectomy if your seizure control may be optimized by removing cortex surrounding a known brain abnormality (such as a tumor or vascular lesion).
Cortical resection surgery takes place at Duke University Hospital in Durham, NC.
Before surgery is recommended, children and adults undergo a thorough surgical evaluation. Learn more about:
A neurosurgeon removes a small section of the skull to allow access to the brain -- this is called a craniotomy. Surgeons use special tools to remove the cerebral cortex, replace the piece of skull that was removed, and close the incision. The procedure usually takes between three and six hours.
After surgery, the average hospital stay is two to three days. Full recovery takes about six to eight weeks.
As a Level 4 Epilepsy Center, Duke Health provides the highest level of diagnosis, medical, and surgical treatments for people with epilepsy. It is one reason why Duke University Hospital’s neurology and neurosurgery program is nationally ranked, and the highest-ranked program in North Carolina, according to U.S. News & World Report in 2025-2026.
