Strategies to continue epilepsy surgery during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis

抄録

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. COVID-19 was initially detected in Wuhan, China in late 2019, and has rapidly spread worldwide. As the battle against COVID-19 becomes more and more long-term, it has become important to consider how to perform epilepsy surgery in the environment with the COVID-19 crisis. In this review article, we propose strategies for institutions that perform epilepsy surgery. First, we discuss the importance of coordinating neurosurgical team and inter-hospital collaboration as a hospital-based initiative. Next, we describe three surgical activities: preoperative evaluation, perioperative management, and during operation. We also discuss management of outpatients as a postoperative strategy. Finally, we mention the importance of psycho-logical support for medical staff, patients, and caregivers. By utilizing these strategies, we should make the best efforts to provide the necessary surgical treatment to patients with epilepsy, even in the COVID-19 era.