A combined analytical and experimental investigation was conducted to develop a flat, phase change heat spreader to enable focal thermoelectric cooling as a treatment for intractable neocortical epilepsy. The design parameters required minimum transport capacity of 5 W with an associated temperature drop of less than 0.5 degrees C. A one-dimensional steady-state model was developed and the predicted performance characteristics compared with the results obtained from the experimental evaluation of three conceptual designs of varying complexity. These designs varied in terms of the materials used, but all three used water as the working fluid. The experimental results indicate that the minimum transport limit of 5 W can be achieved by one of the three concepts evaluated with a maximum overall temperature drop of 0.36 degrees C at 5 W, well below the 0.5 degrees C limit and within the experimental uncertainty of the temperature measurement technique used. A simple model was used to aid in the selection of an appropriate heat pipe. Using the verified model, the initial design was optimized, and based upon this optimized design, a number of test articles were fabricated and evaluated experimentally.