Seizure-related outcome after corticoamygdalohippocampectomy in patients with refractory temporal lobe epilepsy and mesial temporal sclerosis evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging alone.

OBJECT: The authors conducted a study to assess the efficacy of surgery in patients who underwent magnetic resonance (MR) imaging alone for localization of foci in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). METHODS: One hundred patients (43 men, 57 women) with a clinical diagnosis of TLE were prospectively studied (mean age 28 +/- 9 years [+/- standard deviation {SD}]). All patients underwent high-resolution MR imaging, and in all unilateral mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS) was diagnosed by visual inspection. All patients underwent interictal preoperative electroencephalography (EEG) and in 87 patients pre- and 1-year postoperative neuropsychological testing was performed. Both EEG and neuropsychological examinations were conducted in a blinded fashion, and these data were not taken into account during the surgery-related decision-making process. All patients underwent a corticoamygdalohippocampectomy at the side of the MTS. Surgery-related outcome was rated as Class I (seizure free or simple partial seizures only) or Class II (> or = 90% improvement). The follow-up period ranged from 18 to 48 months (mean 24 +/- 5 months [+/-SD]). No patient underwent prolonged video-EEG monitoring, Wada testing, positron emission tomography, or single-photon emission computerized tomography. In eighty-nine patients Class I results were achieved, and 11 Class II results were achieved postoperatively. There was no mortality in this series. Except for in two patients who underwent surgery in the dominant temporal lobe, there was no postoperatively cognitive decline. In these two patients verbal memory decline occurred, which was associated with posterior temporal cortical damage, demonstrated postoperatively on MR imaging. Twenty-five percent of the patients experienced improved memory function related to the nonoperated side, and 54% experienced a 10% gain in general intelligence quotient status. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with clinically suspected TLE, MR imaging alone is able to localize temporal lobe foci correctly. Ruling out pseudoseizures remains the only indication for prolonged video-EEG recordings in this group of patients.

Aneurisma gigante da artéria comunicante anterior como causa de hipopituitarismo. Relato de caso e revisão da literatura / Secondary hypopituitarism due to a giant aneurysm of the anterior communicating artery. Case report

A associação de hipopituitarismo e aneurisma de comunicante anterior é rara. Os mecanismos fisiopatológicos incluem a compressão da haste, da glândula hipofisária ou do hipotálamo ou a destruição da glândula, conseqüente ao efeito de massa dentro da sela turca. Relatamos um caso de hipopituitarismo secundário a aneurisma gigante selar e supra-selar, acomentendo um paciente de 51 anos, sexo masculino, com cefaléia hemicraniana esquerda refratária, apatia e diminuição importante da acuidade visual, principalmente do olho esquerdo. Os exames mostraram hipopituitarismo e aneurisma gigante (5 cm) selar e supra-selar parcialmente trombosado da artéria comunicante anterior. Após a exérese cirúrgica houve melhora da acuidade visual e da síndrome frontal, porém não houve melhora da função endocrinológica. O hipopituitarismo secundário a aneurisma cerebral é raro. Esses aneurismas podem manifestar-se com déficit visual, hemorragia meníngea, síndrome frontal e alterações endocrinológicas. Os sintomas causados pelo efeito de massa do aneurisma poderão melhorar se houver descompressão da haste, da glândula ou do hipotálamo e estando a pituitária viável. A preservação intra-operatória da integridade das estruturas do eixo hipotálamo-hipofisário é fundamental nesses pacientes.

Seizure's outcome after cortical resections including the face and tongue rolandic areas in patients with refractory epilepsy and normal MRI submitted to subdural grids' implantation

PURPOSE: To study the seizure's outcome in patients with refractory epilepsy and normal MRI submitted to resections including the rolandic cortex. METHODS: Four adult patients were studied. All patients had motor or somatosensory simple partial seizures and normal MRI and were submitted to subdural grids' implantation with extensive coverage of the cortical convexity (1 in the non-dominant and 3 in the dominant hemisphere). RESULTS: ECoG was able to define focal areas of seizures' onset in every patient. All patients were submitted to resection of the face and tongue motor and sensitive cortex; two patients had resections including the perirolandic cortex and 2 had additional cortical removals. Three patients are seizures' free and one had a greater then 90 percent reduction in seizure frequency. CONCLUSION: Resections including the face and tongue rolandic cortex can be safely performed even within the dominant hemisphere

Tratamento cirúrgico de epilepsia refratária da área da língua / Epileptogenic area in the sensorimotor cortical representation of tongue

O presente estudo relata um paciente com foco epiléptico localizado nas áreas motoras e sensitivas da língua, investigado de maneira invasiva com eletrodos subdurais e, subseqüentemente, submetido à ressecção cortical. O paciente de 22 anos, sexo masculino, possuía crises com versãoconsciente da cabeça para a esquerda, evoluindo, eventualmente, para crises tônico-clônicas, diárias, ocorrendo em vigília e no sono, desde os 5 anos de idade, refratárias ao tratamento clínico. Monitorização videoeletroencefalográfica revelou surtos interictais de ondas lentas comprojeção na região frontocentral (C4-T4). O registro ictal sugeria início na mesma região. A ressonância magnética não revelou alterações. Foi submetido ao implante de grades de eletrodos. O registro eletrocorticográfico crônico com eletrodos subdurais mostrou início das descargas nas regiões motora e sensitiva da língua com espraiamento para a região da face. As descargas intercríticas estendiam-se anterior e posteriormente aos giros rolândicos, bem como ao giro temporal superior. A estimulação cortical da área sensitiva da língua reproduziu as crises clínicas. Foi realizada ressecção subpial do córtex pré-motor, motor e sensitivo da língua e face e póssensitiva da língua e face e porções do giro temporal superior, com especial atenção para a preservação do arcabouço vascular da região. Mantém-se sem crises a partir daí. O estudo anatomopatológico demonstrou apenas gliose intensa.O tratamento cirúrgico de pacientes com focos epilépticos em região da língua pode ser realizado com segurança desde que as relações entre as áreas eloqüentes e epileptogênicas sejam bem conhecidas, em casos selecionados.

We report the case of a 22 year-old male patient with an epileptic focus located at the sensorimotor area of the tongue who was evaluated with subdural electrodes and submitted to a subpial cortical resection. He had seizures characterized by head rotation to the left without impairment ofconsciousness. They occurred in a daily basis, either during sleep or awake, since the age of 5 years. Video-EEG monitoring showed interictal slow waves over the right fronto-central region. Ictal recording suggested the onset over the same area. MRI was normal. He was submitted to subdural electrodes implantation over the right frontoparietal region. ECoGobtained through the implanted electrodes showed ictal onset over the motor and sensitive areas of the tongue with early spreading to the face areas. Interictal spiking was more widespread including the premotor gyrus, the postcentral gyrus and the superior temporal gyrus. Corticalstimulation of the tongue areas reproduced the patient?s habitual seizures. A subpial resection of the premotor, motor, sensory and postsensory cortex related to the tongue and an additional superior temporal gyrus resection was performed. Special caution was dedicated to the preservation of the surrounding vascular structures. He has been seizure-free since surgery. Pathological examination showed severe gliosis.The surgical treatment of patients with foci at the tongue area can be performed safely as far as the relationship between the focus and the surrounding eloquent areas is well delimited.

Results of surgery in patients with bilateral independent temporal lobe spiking (BITLS) with normal MRI or bilateral mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS) investigated with bilateral subdural grids

PURPOSE: The introduction of new technologies in the clinical practice have greatly decreased the number of patients submitted to invasive recordings. On the other hand, some patients with refractory temporal lobe epilepsy have normal MR scans or bilateral potentially epileptogenic lesions. This paper reports the results of invasive neurophysiology and surgical outcome in such patients. METHOD: Sixteen patients were studied. Eleven had normal MRI (Group I) and five had bilateral mesial temporal sclerosis (Group II). All patients had BITLS and non-localizatory seizures on video-EEG monitoring. All patients were implanted bilaterally with 32-contacts subdural grids. They were submitted to a cortico-amygdalo-total hippocampectomy at the side defined by chronic electrocorticography (ECoG). RESULTS: In Group I, seizures came from a single side in nine patients. In nine patients, seizures started at one side, spread to the ipsolateral contacts and contralaterally afterwards. On the other hand, in two Group I patients seizures started in one mesial region and spread to the contralateral parahippocampus and neocortex before spreading to ipsolateral contacts. All patients in Group II had seizures starting unilaterally with focal EcoG onset in the mesial regions. Eight Group I patients are seizure-free and three are in Engel's class II. Eighty percent of Group II patients are seizure-free after surgery and one patient is in Engel's class II. CONCLUSION: Good surgical results can be obtained in patients with BITLS. Patients with normal MRI seem to have a worse prognosis when compared to patients with unilateral or even bilateral MTS. Extensive subdural coverage is essential in patients with normal MRI

Paradigms for subdural grids' implantation in patients with refractory epilepsy

RATIONALE: The need for invasive monitoring in patients with refractory epilepsy has been greatly reduced by the introduction of new technologies such as PET, SPECT and MRI in the clinical practice. On the other hand, 10 to 30 percent of the patients with refractory epilepsy have non-localizatory non-invasive preoperative work-up results. This paper reports on the paradigms for subdural electrodes implantation in patients with different refractory epileptic syndromes. METHODS: Twenty-nine adult refractory epileptic patients were studied. Patients were divided into five different epileptic syndromes that represented the majority of the patients who needed invasive recordings: bitemporal (Group I; n=16 ), bi-frontal-mesial (Group II, n=5), hemispheric (Group III; n=2), anterior quadrant (Group IV; n=3) and posterior quadrant (Group V; n=3). All of them were submitted to extensive subdural electrodes' implantation (from 64 to 160 contacts) covering all the cortical surface potentially involved in epileptogenesis under general anesthesia. Results: All patients tolerated well the procedure. There was no sign or symptom of intracranial hypertension except for headache in 22 patients. In all except one Group II patient, prolonged electrocorticographic monitoring using the described subdural cortical coverage patterns was able to define a focal area amenable for resection. In all Groups II-V patients cortical stimulation was able to adequately map the rolandic and speach areas as necessary. CONCLUSION: Despite recent technological advances invasive neurophysiological studies are still necessary in some patients with refractory epilepsy. The standardization of the paradigms for subdural implantation coupled to the study of homogeneous patients' populations as defined by MRI will certainly lead to a better understanding of the pathophysiology involved in such cases and an improved surgical outcome