Comparison of minimally invasive to standard temporal lobectomy approaches to epilepsy surgery: Seizure relief and visual confrontation naming outcomes.

The purpose of this study was to systematically examine three different surgical approaches in treating left medial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) (viz., subtemporal selective amygdalohippocampectomy [subSAH], stereotactic laser amygdalohippocampotomy [SLAH], and anterior temporal lobectomy [ATL]), to determine which procedures are most favorable in terms of visual confrontation naming and seizure relief outcome. This was a retrospective study of 33 adults with intractable mTLE who underwent left temporal lobe surgery at three different epilepsy surgery centers who also underwent pre-, and at least 6-month post-surgical neuropsychological testing. Measures included the Boston Naming Test (BNT) and the Engel Epilepsy Surgery Outcome Scale. Fisher's exact tests revealed a statistically significant decline in naming in ATLs compared to SLAHs, but no other significant group differences. 82% of ATL and 36% of subSAH patients showed a significant naming decline whereas no SLAH patient (0%) had a significant naming decline. Significant postoperative naming improvement was seen in 36% of SLAH patients in contrast to 9% improvement in subSAH patients and 0% improvement in ATLs. Finally, there were no statistically significant differences between surgical approaches with regard to seizure freedom outcome, although there was a trend towards better seizure relief outcome among the ATL patients. Results support a possible benefit of SLAH in preserving visual confrontation naming after left TLE surgery. While result interpretation is limited by the small sample size, findings suggest outcome is likely to differ by surgical approach, and that further research on cognitive and seizure freedom outcomes is needed to inform patients and providers of potential risks and benefits with each.

Atypical language representation as a protective factor against verbal memory decline following epilepsy surgery.

OBJECTIVE: An important role of neuropsychology in the preoperative evaluation of epilepsy surgery candidates is to assess risk for postoperative memory decline. One factor associated with postoperative verbal memory decline is surgery in the language-dominant temporal lobe (TL). The aim of the study was to determine whether atypical language representation has a protective effect against verbal memory decline following left temporal, frontotemporal, or hippocampal excision. METHODS: Data from 61 patients with medically refractory epilepsy, Wada testing, and pre- and postsurgical memory assessment from four comprehensive epilepsy surgery centers were gathered and examined for pre- to postsurgical memory change. Wada testing was used to determine language dominance (left vs. atypical [bilateral + right]). Postoperative memory change was examined at both the individual (using nonparametric analyses) and group (using parametric analyses) levels for the two language dominance groups. RESULTS: Significant postoperative verbal memory decline was observed in the left hemisphere language-dominant group, while the atypical language group showed verbal memory improvement. Individuals with left hemisphere language dominance were more likely to show postoperative declines in verbal memory, whereas individuals with atypical language dominance were significantly less likely to decline. As expected, there were no significant differences between language groups with regard to postoperative visuospatial memory outcome. CONCLUSION: Patients with atypical language dominance had better verbal memory outcomes following left hemisphere resections than those with left hemisphere language dominance suggesting that typical memory substrates likely reorganized along with language. Thus, atypical cerebral organization of language may be considered a protective factor against verbal memory decline following epilepsy surgery involving the left TL.

Preoperative evaluation with FMRI of patients with intracranial gliomas.

Introduction. Aggressive surgical resection constitutes the optimal treatment for intracranial gliomas. However, the proximity of a tumor to eloquent areas requires exact knowledge of its anatomic relationships to functional cortex. The purpose of our study was to evaluate fMRI's accuracy by comparing it to intraoperative cortical stimulation (DCS) mapping. Material and Methods. Eighty-seven patients, with presumed glioma diagnosis, underwent preoperative fMRI and intraoperative DCS for cortical mapping during tumor resection. Findings of fMRI and DCS were considered concordant if the identified cortical centers were less than 5 mm apart. Pre and postoperative Karnofsky Performance Scale and Spitzer scores were recorded. A postoperative MRI was obtained for assessing the extent of resection. Results. The areas of interest were identified by fMRI and DCS in all participants. The concordance between fMRI and DCS was 91.9% regarding sensory-motor cortex, 100% for visual cortex, and 85.4% for language. Data analysis showed that patients with better functional condition demonstrated higher concordance rates, while there also was a weak association between tumor grade and concordance rate. The mean extent of tumor resection was 96.7%. Conclusions. Functional MRI is a highly accurate preoperative methodology for sensory-motor mapping. However, in language mapping, DCS remains necessary for accurate localization.

Posterior quadrant epilepsy surgery: predictors of outcome.

PURPOSE: To identify predictors of seizure recurrence following posterior quadrant epilepsy surgery. METHODS: Between 1983 and 2008, 43 medically refractory epilepsy patients underwent posterior quadrant epilepsy surgery. Epilepsy surgery involved the occipital lobe in all cases; some cases also included resection of the adjacent parietal or temporal cortex. Using a logistic regression model, we evaluated the relationship between outcome (Engel class I-IV) and 5 outcome predictors: absence of a visual aura, a temporal lobe type aura, versive head movement unaccompanied by a visual aura, non-focal interictal scalp EEG, and surgical pathology other than low grade tumor or cortical dysplasia. We also determined the relative risk for significant post-operative cognitive decline of Wechsler intelligence test score among those receiving complete lobectomies compared to those receiving partial lobectomies. RESULTS: Overall, outcome was favorable at 1 year following surgery: 22 (51.2%) patients Engel class I, 10 (24%) patients Engel class II, 5 (12%) patients Engel class III, and 6 (14%) patients Engel class IV. The 3 best univariate predictors of seizure recurrence were versive head movement unaccompanied by visual aura, non-focal interictal scalp EEG, and pathology other than low grade tumor or cortical dysplasia. A multivariate predictor combining temporal lobe type aura, versive head movement unaccompanied by visual aura, non-focal interictal scalp EEG, and pathology other than low grade tumor or cortical dysplasia was optimum. Complete lobectomy significantly increased the risk of post-operative decline of Wechsler intelligence score. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that posterior quadrant epilepsy surgery may provide sustained seizure control. A multivariate model combining temporal lobe type aura, versive head movement unaccompanied by a visual aura, non-focal interictal scalp EEG, and pathology other than low grade tumor or cortical dysplasia may contribute to predicting seizure recurrence following posterior quadrant epilepsy surgery. The extent of cortical resection may predict significant cognitive decline in post-operative Wechsler intelligence score.

Diagnostic utility of Wada Memory Asymmetries: sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratio characterization.

The authors used logistic regression, dichotomous and multiple level likelihood ratios, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses to examine Wada Memory Asymmetries (WMAs) in 324 patients who subsequently underwent temporal lobe (TL) surgery (left TL surgery = 172; right TL surgery = 152) using the Medical College of Georgia Wada protocol. Logistic regression correctly classified 84% of left TL patients and 77% of right TL patients using WMA. Corresponding dichotomous likelihood ratios (LRs) were: LR+ = 3.64; LR- = 0.21. The area under the curve using ROC was similarly highly significant (.886, standard error = .018, p < .001). When classifying patients using multiple level LRs, 40 left TL patients (23.3%) obtained asymmetry scores greater than +4, whereas no right TL patients obtained asymmetry scores in this range. No left TL patients obtained a WMA of -8 or less, although 12 right TL patients (7.9%) obtained a difference score of -8. Multiple level LRs indicate impressive diagnostic sensitivity for certain WMA ranges, greatly increasing the probability of undergoing either left or right TL surgery depending on WMA magnitude.

Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgical treatment of idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia: long-term outcome and complications.

OBJECT: Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) with the Gamma Knife (GK) is a rapidly emerging surgical modality in the management of medically refractory idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia (TN). The current study examines the long-term outcome in patients with drug-resistant idiopathic TN who underwent GK surgery at the authors' institution. METHODS: One hundred and six consecutive patients (38 men and 68 women) with proven medically refractory idiopathic TN were included in this retrospective study. Their ages were 41-82 years (mean 72.3 years). All patients underwent SRS with prescribed maximal radiation doses ranging from 70 to 85 Gy. Isocenters 1-3 were used and plugging was used selectively. The follow-up period was 12-72 months (mean 34.3 months). The patients were divided into 2 groups according to their history of previous surgery. RESULTS: The initial response rate in patients with no history of previous surgery was 92.9%; in those who had undergone previous surgery, the initial response rate was 85.7%. At the end of the 1st posttreatment year, an excellent outcome was achieved in 82.5% of patients who had not had previous surgery, and in 69.4% of those who had. The respective outcome rates for the 2nd posttreatment year were 78 and 63.5%, respectively. The most common complication was the development of persistent paresthesia, which occurred in 15.8% of patients with no previous surgery and 16.3% of those with previous surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Stereotactic radiosurgery with the GK is a safe and effective treatment option for patients with medically refractory idiopathic TN.

Rey Complex Figure: figural and spatial memory before and after temporal lobectomy for intractable epilepsy.

Reliable neuropsychological markers of right temporal integrity have proven elusive. Specifically it is unclear whether figural and spatial aspects of visual memory are differentially affected by right temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and subsequent resection. To investigate this we used the modified Rey Complex Figure (RCF) scoring system devised by Brier et al. (1996) to obtain separate indices of figural and spatial memory in TLE surgery candidates. We extended on their study by examining presurgical performance and change following right and left temporal lobectomy (RATL, n = 38, LATL, n = 42) in individuals from a cross-institutional sample with and without hippocampal sclerosis (HS(+)/HS(-)). Contrary to expectation neither figural nor spatial RCF recall were differentially sensitive to RTLE, right HS, or subsequent resection. Presurgically, laterality effects on both figural and spatial memory indices were not found although HS(-) individuals significantly outperformed HS(+) individuals on both measures. Following surgery the largest decrements in both figural and spatial recall were observed among LATL HS(-) participants. We concluded that RCF recall is a poor marker of right temporal lobe function and suggest it may be a "surrogate" measure of left temporal lobe function possibly due to the verbalizability of many of its components.

The Verbal IQ/Performance IQ discrepancy as a sign of seizure focus laterality in pediatric patients with epilepsy.

A large Verbal IQ (VIQ)/Performance IQ (PIQ) discrepancy has been viewed as a sign of lateralized brain dysfunction. The current study was conducted to determine if the presence of a large VIQ/PIQ discrepancy (15 points) would accurately predict laterality of seizure foci in pediatric patients with epilepsy. A discrepancy score (VIQ-PIQ) was calculated for 130 children (mean age=12.25) undergoing presurgical epilepsy evaluations. Patients were grouped on the basis of language mediation confirmed through the intracarotid amobarbital procedure. Large discrepancies were noted in 34% of the group with typical language and 24% of the children with atypical language organization. When present, this discrepancy accurately lateralized seizure focus for 79% of those with typical and 57% of those with atypical language organization. The presence of the discrepancy was unrelated to seizure control following surgery for the atypical language group. In the typical language group, 85% of children with discrepancies, but only 63% of children without discrepancies, achieved seizure control. Results suggest that the presence of a large discrepancy is not effective, by itself, in lateralizing seizure foci, but may contribute to refining predictions of surgical outcome.

Structured cueing on a semantic fluency task differentiates patients with temporal versus frontal lobe seizure onset.

Patients with frontal lobe dysfunction (e.g., Huntington's disease) reportedly benefit more from cueing on measures of semantic fluency than do patients with damage to temporal lobe structures (e.g., Alzheimer's disease). This differential benefit from cueing suggests that different neurocognitive functions are impaired in these two groups. Patients with frontal lobe dysfunction are presumed to have difficulty with the executive aspects of this generative fluency task, whereas patients with temporal lobe impairment are limited by deficits in semantic memory. We studied the performance of patients with complex partial seizures of frontal or temporal lobe onset, as determined by video/EEG monitoring, on standard and cued measures of semantic fluency administered in a counterbalanced sequence across groups. These groups did not differ significantly in terms of age, education, gender, age at seizure onset, total number of antiepileptic drugs, or IQ, and all patients subsequently underwent surgery for intractable epilepsy. Patients with frontal lobe dysfunction (FL group) performed significantly worse than patients with temporal lobe impairment (TL group) on the standard semantic fluency paradigm (TL group: M=18.4, SD=4.7; FL group: M=11.1, SD=5.3), t(27)=-3.75, P<0.001. Nevertheless, results of an ANCOVA demonstrated that the FL group showed significantly greater performance improvement than the TL group when provided with a cued semantic fluency format, even after controlling for baseline differences in ability on the standard semantic fluency task (TL group: M=0.45, SD=3.8; FL M=9.4, SD=5.1), F(1,29)=12.37, P=0.002. These findings support previous research suggesting that frontal and temporal structures contribute uniquely to semantic generative fluency and suggest that using a combination of standard and cued semantic fluency tasks may help confirm localization of seizure onset in partial epilepsy by localizing the associated cognitive dysfunction.

Outcome of patients undergoing gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery for medically refractory idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia: Medical College of Georgia's experience.

Gamma knife radiosurgery represents an established treatment option for the management of medically refractory trigeminal neuralgia (TN). In our current communication we present our experience in radiosurgically treating patients with idiopathic TN. Over a period of 5 years, 77 patients underwent gamma knife radiosurgery. The patients were divided into 2 groups based on their previous surgical treatment. In the group of patients with no previous surgeries, the initial response rate was 92.4% (48/52 patients), while in the group with previous surgeries it was 84% (21/25 patients). The excellent outcome rates (complete pain relief with no pain medications) at the completion of 1, 2 and 3 years after treatment for the group with no previous surgeries were: 80.8% (42/52 patients), 69.2% (36/52 patients) and 53.8% (28/52 patients), respectively. The respective excellent outcome rates for the group of patients with previous surgeries were: 64% (16/25 patients), 44% (11/25 patients) and 12% (3/25 patients). The good outcome rates at the completion of 1, 2 and 3 years after treatment for the group with no previous surgeries were: 7.7% (4/52 patients), 11.5% (6/52 patients) and 19.2% (10/52 patients). The respective percentages of good outcome for the patients with previous surgery were: 12% (3/25 patients) at 1 year, 16% (4/25 patients) at 2 years and 32% (8/25 patients) at the completion of 3 years after treatment. The most commonly encountered complication in our series was the development of facial numbness. Our findings confirm previous reports that the presence of preceding surgical interventions represents a negative long-term outcome factor. However, gamma knife radiosurgery constitutes a safe and efficient minimally invasive treatment option for patients with idiopathic TN.

Intracranial stimulation study of lateralization of affect.

As part of their evaluation for epilepsy surgery, 53 patients underwent stimulation of depth or subdural electrodes. Responses obtained from depth stimulation included motor responses at 34 sites, sensory responses at 114 sites, language alterations at 6 sites, and affective responses at 22 sites. Responses obtained from subdural stimulation included motor responses at 19 sites, sensory responses at 31 sites, speech alterations at 10 sites, and affective responses at 1 site. Of 23 affective responses, 21 were dysphoric responses of fear, a sense of dying, or unpleasantness with or without some type of experiential phenomenon. Dysphoric responses were statistically associated (P=0.01) with right-sided stimulation (N=18) as compared with left-sided stimulation (N=3) of mesial frontal, orbitofrontal, mesial temporal, and insular stimulation sites. Two euphoric responses occurred, one with left-sided and one with right-sided stimulation. No affective responses were obtained with convexity or neocortical stimulation.

Traumatic articular-bursal fistula in a collegiate football player.

A collegiate football player suffered a direct blow to the distal quadriceps mechanism, resulting in a partial tear of the vastus medialis obliquus. Over time, he began to develop activity-related swelling of his prepatellar bursa. By 6 weeks after his injury, an area of swelling the size of a golf ball would rapidly develop with just 5 minutes of quadriceps exercises. Swelling would diminish within a few hours of rest. A magnetic resonance imaging examination suggested a fistula track from the articular space through the vastus medialis obliquus into the prepatellar bursal area. When prolonged rest did not improve his symptoms, he was taken to surgery. Arthroscopic visualization confirmed a traumatic fistula between the articular space and the prepatellar bursa, allowing free egress of fluid. A spinal needle was used to localize the fistula tract to allow this to be identified for an open, layered suture closure. An area of traumatic chondrosis on the medial side of the patella with loose chondral flaps was also debrided as the probable "fluid generator." The patient enjoyed a full recovery and was back to playing college football 10 weeks after surgery.

Victoria symptom validity test performance in non-litigating epilepsy surgery candidates.

We report Victoria Symptom Validity Test (VSVT) performance in 120 epilepsy patients undergoing neuropsychological assessment as part of their evaluation as epilepsy surgery candidates. Patients were grouped according to their performance on hard VSVT stimuli. Scores of at least 21/24 on the hard VSVT items were classified as valid (n=86), scores of 18/24-20/24 were considered questionably valid (n=20), and scores of 17/24 and below were designated as invalid (n=14). Significant group effects were observed for WAIS-III Full Scale IQ, Verbal IQ, Performance IQ, Digit Span, Rey 3x5 Memory, Selective Reminding Recognition, and Complex Figure Immediate Recall; poorer cognitive scores were associated with lower VSVT scores. Age was also related to VSVT performance, with patients older that 40 years of age (16/42) more likely to fail the VSVT (i.e., hard scores < or = 20/24) than their younger counterparts (8/78) (p=.0006, Fisher's Exact Test). These results indicate that VSVT may identify cases of incomplete effort in patients being evaluated for strictly clinical purposes in which no external incentive to perform poorly has been identified, although the potential confound of low IQ on VSVT cannot be determined from this sample. Older patients also appear to be at increased risk for suboptimal performance, and may need additional encouragement or education regarding the need to perform to the best of their ability, and thereby maximize the likelihood of obtaining valid neuropsychological test results.

Deteriorating outcomes after meniscal repair using the Meniscus Arrow in knees undergoing concurrent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: increased failure rate with long-term follow-up.

BACKGROUND: An increased awareness of the degenerative changes that occur in the knee after meniscectomy has led to efforts to salvage the injured meniscus. Numerous devices have been developed in an effort to provide the dual benefits of a durable meniscal repair and minimal invasiveness. HYPOTHESIS: The Meniscus Arrow is comparable to conventional inside-out suture repair in accomplishing long-term healing of meniscal tears. STUDY DESIGN: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. METHODS: This study is an extended follow-up of an original series of 32 patients with outcomes analysis. All patients underwent meniscal repair with exclusive use of the arrow. All repairs were performed in the context of a concomitant anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Follow-up assessment included physical examination, arthrometry, the International Knee Documentation Committee instrument, and the Knee Disorders Subjective History visual analog scale. Intermediate follow-up at a mean of 2.3 years yielded a success rate of 90.6%. The mean follow-up in the present study has been extended to 6.6 years. RESULTS: The extended follow-up analysis revealed a substantial attrition in the success rate of this series of patients undergoing meniscal repair with the arrow. A 90.6% success rate at a mean follow-up of 2.3 years deteriorated to 71.4% at 6.6 years. CONCLUSION: This study provides the longest follow-up in the literature of any of the all-inside meniscal repair implants. The Meniscus Arrow demonstrated long-term meniscal healing rates inferior to those found in the literature for inside-out suture repair techniques.

Dimensions of the epilepsy foundation concerns index.

We performed principal component analysis (PCA) of the Epilepsy Foundation Concerns Index scale in 189 patients undergoing evaluation for epilepsy surgery. We identified a five-factor solution in which there were no varimax-rotated factors consisting of fewer than two questions. Factor 1 reflects affective impact on enjoyment of life, Factor 2 reflects general autonomy concerns, Factor 3 reflects fear of seizure recurrence, Factor 4 reflects concern of being a burden to one's family, and Factor 5 reflects a perceived lack of understanding by others. Multiple regression using the Quality of Life in Epilepsy--89 question version; Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory--2; Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale--third edition; and verbal and visual memory tests as predictors demonstrated a different pattern of association with the factor and summary scores. We conclude that the Epilepsy Foundation Concerns Index is multidimensional, and using a global score based on all items may mask specific concerns that may be relevant when applied to individual patients.

Prediction of verbal memory decline after epilepsy surgery in children: effectiveness of Wada memory asymmetries.

PURPOSE: Differences in Wada memory performance after left and right amobarbital injection are powerful predictors of pre- to postoperative memory change among adult epilepsy patients after anterior temporal lobectomy. It is unknown, however, whether these Wada memory asymmetries apply to children who undergo focal cortical resection or to epilepsy surgery patients who undergo resection outside the temporal lobes. METHODS: To investigate these issues, Wada memory asymmetries and pre- to postoperative neuropsychological memory test performances were examined in 132 children who underwent some form of resective epilepsy surgery. Ninety-three (70%) children showed Wada memory asymmetries in the predicted direction (memory after injection ipsilateral to side of surgery better than memory after contralateral injection), and 39 (30%) did not. RESULTS: Children with Wada memory asymmetries showed significant improvement in verbal memory after surgery as compared with children without Wada memory asymmetries who showed significant verbal memory decline. This result was also obtained when individual cases were examined: 77% of children with Wada memory asymmetries in predicted direction showed no verbal memory decline after surgery, whereas 80% of children without asymmetries had lower postoperative verbal memory (passage recall) test scores. Wada memory asymmetries had no value in predicting postoperative changes in visual-spatial memory. CONCLUSIONS: Wada memory asymmetries may be used as one of the factors to assess risk for verbal memory decline after epilepsy surgery in children.

Determinants of quality of life in epilepsy.

Although depression is associated with diminished quality of life (QOL) in epilepsy patients, the relative contributions of epilepsy-specific concerns, as well as clinical and cognitive variables of QOL, have not been simultaneously investigated. A comprehensive neuropsychological test battery including the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Epilepsy Foundation of America's (EFA) Concerns Index, MMPI-2, QOLIE-89, WAIS-III, and Selective Reminding was administered to 115 epilepsy surgery candidates with normal Full Scale IQs. Linear regression analyses were performed to identify significant predictor combinations of QOLIE-89 total score. Regression analysis demonstrated that depressive symptomatology, whether reflected by the BDI (R2=0.45) or Depression scale of the MMPI-2 (R2=0.36), was a robust individual QOL predictor. Seizure Worry from the EFA Concerns Index was nearly as effective as the BDI in predicting QOLIE-89 (R2=0.42). When the BDI and EFA Concerns Index were combined into the same regression, both factors continued to contribute significantly to the QOLIE-89 total score, with both variables accounting for 61% of the variance. Although patients who developed their seizures at an older age had poorer QOL and patients with higher educational levels reported higher QOL, neither factor was related to QOL after accounting for the effects of psychological variables and epilepsy-related concerns. Although quality of life has multiple determinants, symptoms of depression and seizure worry are the most important factors affecting QOL in patients with intractable epilepsy.

Structural versus functional prediction of memory change following anterior temporal lobectomy.

Decline in recent memory function is a significant risk for patients undergoing anterior temporal lobectomy. We report a patient with a febrile seizure history, complex partial seizures arising from the left anterior temporal lobe, and MRI evidence suggesting left hippocampal sclerosis, all of which indicate a low likelihood of significant postoperative memory decline. However, high normal verbal memory on neuropsychological testing and bilaterally normal Wada memory scores indicated increased risk for postoperative memory decline. Following left anterior temporal lobectomy, the patient displayed a significant decline in verbal recent memory that affected school performance. Despite the worsening in memory, the patient reported a significant improvement in his self-reported quality-of-life perception, demonstrating that factors other than change in cognitive performance are related to whether a patient considers epilepsy surgery worthwhile. In the present case, behavioral measures were superior to structural measures in predicting cognitive change following surgery.

Wada memory performance predicts seizure outcome after epilepsy surgery in children.

PURPOSE: Wada memory asymmetries were examined in children from four comprehensive epilepsy surgery centers who subsequently underwent epilepsy surgery to determine whether Wada memory performance could predict degree of seizure relief in children. METHODS: One hundred fifty-six children (between ages 5 and 16 years) with intractable epilepsy underwent Wada testing before resective epilepsy surgery (93 within the left hemisphere, and 63 within the right hemisphere). Memory stimuli were presented soon after intracarotid amobarbital injection, and recognition memory for the items was assessed after return to neurologic baseline. Eighty-eight children underwent unilateral temporal lobe resection, and 68 had extratemporal lobe resections. One hundred four (67%) children were seizure free (Engel class I), and 52 (33%) were not seizure free (Engel classes II-IV) at follow-up (mean follow-up interval, 2.3 years). RESULTS: Seizure-free children recalled 19.3% more Wada memory items after ipsilateral injection than did non-seizure-free children (p = 0.008). If analysis was restricted to youngsters with temporal lobectomies (TLs), seizure-free children recalled 27.7% more items after ipsilateral injection than did non-seizure-free TL children (p = 0.004). With regard to individual patient prediction, 75% of children who had memory score asymmetries consistent with the seizure focus were seizure free. In contrast, only 56% of children whose memory score asymmetries were inconsistent with the seizure focus were seizure free (p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that Wada memory performance asymmetries are related to the degree of seizure relief after epilepsy surgery in children and adolescents.

A 10-year experience with magnetic source imaging in the guidance of epilepsy surgery.

Magnetic source imaging (MSI) of interictal epileptiform dipoles was studied in 100 epilepsy surgery candidates. Sixty underwent surgery. MSI epileptiform data were classified as focal, regional, multifocal, scattered or none. Resections of MSI epileptiform foci were classified as extensive (EXT) versus partial or none (P/N). MSI interictal epileptiform dipoles were found in 22 of 27 anterior temporal (ATL) cases, and in 31 of 33 extratemporal (XMT) cases. Of 10 EXT ATL cases, 5 (50%) were seizure free (SF). Of 12 P/N ATL cases, 7 (58%) were SF. Of 10 nonlesional EXT XMT resections, 8 (80%) were SF. Of 10 nonlesional P/N XMT resections, 1 (10%) was SF. Neither focality of MSI data or spatial agreement of electrographic and MSI data significantly affected outcomes.