Cleveland Clinic

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders, affecting up to one percent of the population in the United States. Plus more than 45,000 children ages 18 and younger are diagnosed with epilepsy every year. Overall, medication can control seizures in 60 to 70% of epilepsy patients. For those whose epilepsy cannot be controlled with anticonvulsant medication, or experience intolerable side effects from anticonvulsants, there are other options available, including epilepsy surgery. The success of epilepsy surgery is measured in terms of the operation’s impact on seizure control and improvement in quality of life. Successful surgery eliminates seizures in the majority of cases. In a minority of cases, seizure frequency is markedly reduced.

The Cleveland Clinic Epilepsy Center is one of the largest and more comprehensive epilepsy programs in the world for the evaluation and treatment of epilepsy in both children and adults. More than 300 patients with medication-resistant epilepsy undergo surgical procedures annually at Cleveland Clinic Epilepsy Center. The center is one of the few medical centers in the country that has been instrumental in using 3-D mapping to pinpoint the focus of seizures and improve surgical outcomes. The Epilepsy Center was also the first in North America, to introduce SEEG, a minimally invasive technique, which is a more precise and less invasive approach to localizing seizures.

Take advantage of this opportunity to chat with William Bingaman, MD about epilepsy surgery and get your questions answered.

William E. Bingaman, MD, is Vice-Chairman of the Neurological Institute and Head of the Section of Epilepsy Surgery at Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Bingaman’s clinical interests are in the surgical treatment of adult and pediatric epilepsy, with special interest in hemispheric epilepsy. He also is interested in spinal surgery and maintains a busy clinical practice in close collaboration with the Department of Neurology via the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center.

He is an active member of many professional organizations including the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the American Epilepsy Society, the Ohio State Neurosurgical Society and the Council of State Neurosurgical
Societies. Additionally, Dr. Bingaman holds leadership positions in several national neurosurgical organizations including Member-at-Large board member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, Vice Chairman of the Council of State Neurosurgical Societies, board member of the American Neurosurgery Political Action Committee and Past President of the Ohio State Neurosurgical Society.