Surgery description

Hollis is scheduled to have a "functional hemispherectomy", rather than an "anatomical hemispherectomy". The primary difference is that with a functional, the hemisphere that is causing the seizures is left in place, and is neurologically disconnected from the healthy hemisphere. With the anatomical, the whole hemisphere is removed, leaving a space in the head which fills with cerebrospinal fluid. Here is a link to Cleveland Clinic's description of the procedure.


http://my.clevelandclinic.org/services/functional_hemispherectomy/hic_functional_hemispherectomy.aspx