Montreal procedure
Encyclopedia
The Montreal procedure is a surgical procedure pioneered by Dr. Wilder Penfield
of Montreal
, Canada
, in the 1930s. It is effective in the treatment of epilepsy
.
Dr. Penfield developed the "Montreal procedure" as a new neurological approach to eliminating epileptic seizures. The surgeon administers a local anaesthetic to the patient so he or she remains conscious during surgery. The surgeon then removes a piece of skull to expose the brain tissue. In response to probing, the conscious patient can describe his or her feelings so the surgeon can identify the exact location of seizure activity. Dr. Penfield discovered that the removal of the brain tissue in this location contributes to ending the epileptic patient's seizures.
More than half of the patients treated with this new method, which became known as the "Montreal Procedure," were cured of seizures. Dr. Penfield himself performed the operation more than any other neurosurgeon in the world.
Wilder Penfield
Wilder Graves Penfield, OM, CC, CMG, FRS was an American born Canadian neurosurgeon. During his life he was called "the greatest living Canadian"...
of Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, in the 1930s. It is effective in the treatment of epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
.
Dr. Penfield developed the "Montreal procedure" as a new neurological approach to eliminating epileptic seizures. The surgeon administers a local anaesthetic to the patient so he or she remains conscious during surgery. The surgeon then removes a piece of skull to expose the brain tissue. In response to probing, the conscious patient can describe his or her feelings so the surgeon can identify the exact location of seizure activity. Dr. Penfield discovered that the removal of the brain tissue in this location contributes to ending the epileptic patient's seizures.
More than half of the patients treated with this new method, which became known as the "Montreal Procedure," were cured of seizures. Dr. Penfield himself performed the operation more than any other neurosurgeon in the world.