Corpus callosotomy (or less frequently, callotomy) is a surgical procedure that disconnects the cerebral hemispheres, resulting in a condition called split-brain. Surgery (from the χειρουργική cheirourgikē, via chirurgiae meaning "hand work" is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental A cerebral hemisphere ( hemispherium cerebrale) is defined as one of the two regions of the Brain that are delineated by the body's median plane. Split-brain is a lay term to describe the result when the Corpus callosum connecting the two hemispheres of the Brain is severed to some degree

Most modern callosotomies involve only the anterior portion of the corpus callosum, reflecting the fact that the frontal and temporal lobes are the most commonly involved in the genesis of seizures. The corpus callosum is a structure of the Mammalian Brain in the longitudinal fissure that connects the left and right Cerebral hemispheres It also facilitates An epileptic seizure is caused by excessive and/or hypersynchronous electrical Neuronal activity and is usually self-limiting The deficits from this modified procedure are milder; side-effects have not been found in some patients (although it is very unlikely that none exist).

The corpus callosum is usually severed in order to stop epileptic seizures. Once the corpus callosum is cut, the brain has much more difficulty sending messages between the hemispheres. Although the corpus callosum is the largest white-matter tract connecting the hemispheres, some limited interhemispheric communication is still possible via the anterior commissure and posterior commissure. The Anterior Commissure (precommissure is a bundle of white fibers connecting the two Cerebral hemispheres across the middle line and placed in front of the columns of the The posterior commissure is a rounded band of white fibers crossing the middle line on the dorsal aspect of the upper end of the Cerebral aqueduct. This does not have any major effect in everyday circumstances, but, when tested in particular situations, it is obvious that information transfer between the hemispheres is reduced.

External links

• Detail on the procedure from epilepsy. com
• Encyclopedia of Surgery: Corpus callosotomy