Validity of the WADA test.
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Journal Article↗
Biomedical subjects
Martin Kurthen
Publications and source records attributed to Martin Kurthen.
Selective middle cerebral artery Wada tests as a part of presurgical evaluation in patients with drug-resistant epilepsies.
PURPOSE: To analyze the role of selective middle cerebral artery (MCA) Wada tests in the presurgical workup of patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsies. METHODS: Twenty MCA Wada test procedures were performed to identify eloquent cortex (a) in nine patients with hemispheric lesions involving the motor cortex (connatal MCA infarct, n = 5; unilateral cortical dysplasia, n = 3; Rasmussen encephalitis, n = 1), (b) five patients with circumscribed neoplastic or nonneoplastic lesions adjacent to the motor cortex or classic language areas, and (c) for purely electrophysiologic reasons, in two patients with electrical status epilepticus in sleep (ESES). Sodium amobarbital and [99mTc]-HMPAO were simultaneously injected via a microcatheter into the distal M1 segment (n = 7), the inferior MCA trunk (n = 3), or into MCA branches (n = 10). RESULTS: Co-registered single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI;n = 18) showed that sodium amobarbital did not reach the target area in three procedures. Temporary neurologic deficits occurred in 12 procedures. Eleven patients were operated on with the following surgical approaches: functional hemispherectomy, n = 3; partial or extended lesionectomy, n = 4; anterior temporal lobectomy, n = 1; and multiple subpial transsections, n = 3. Seizure freedom (Engel class I) was achieved in five patients. CONCLUSIONS: Selective MCA Wada tests can contribute to risk assessment concerning postsurgical motor deficits before functional hemispherectomy. Other indications are less clear: The identification of language areas is targeted primarily by electrical-stimulation mapping after subdural grid implantations, and selective MCA Wada tests in ESES patients yet have to be validated in larger patient groups.
Adolescent↗
Surgery to treat focal frontal lobe epilepsy in adults.
OBJECTIVE: To report clinical, neuropathological, and outcome data for a series of adult patients with focal frontal lobe epilepsy (fFLE) who underwent nonlobar resection restricted to the frontal lobe. METHODS: Sixty-eight adult cases (24 female and 44 male patients) were included in the study, on the basis of prospectively collected data that were retrospectively evaluated. There were 68 lesionectomies, 17 of which were combined with multiple subpial transection, with a mean follow-up period of 28.4 +/- 23.3 months. Cases involving additional extrafrontal surgery were excluded. RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients underwent invasive preoperative evaluations, and 31 underwent noninvasive evaluations. Intraoperative electrocorticography was used in 32% of cases. There were 24 tumors, 18 dysgenetic lesions, 14 gliotic lesions, and 10 vascular malformations. Fifteen tumors were of glial origin, one was a dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor, and eight were gangliogliomas. The most common dysgenetic lesions were hamartomas (15 cases). Outcomes (classified into four Engel groups) were as follows: Class I, 54%; Class II, 19%; Class III, 15%; Class IV, 12%. Seizure-free rates were comparable for tumor and dysgenesis cases and were not as good for vascular malformation and gliosis cases. Outcome differences were not significant with respect to aura presence, side of surgery, age at the time of surgery, and age at seizure onset. There were 3 cases of surgical complications, 10 cases of transient neurological disturbances, and 1 case involving a permanent neurological deficit. No deaths occurred. CONCLUSION: Outcomes with fFLE surgery have improved, compared with historical series. fFLE resections restricted to the frontal lobe did not yield seizure-free rates as good as those for comparable nonfocal frontal lobe epilepsy series. All fFLE cases demonstrated histological lesions. fFLE surgery was associated with a higher risk of transient neurological deficits, most likely because of the necessity for multiple subpial transection. The outcomes and higher rates of invasive evaluations and intraoperative electrocorticography indicate the special complexities of frontal lobe epilepsy. The permanent neurological disability rate was low in this series, and there were no deaths.
Adolescent↗
MR imaging in the presurgical workup of patients with drug-resistant epilepsy.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Whether an epileptic lesion is detected with MR imaging depends on the quality of the images and the expertise of the reader. We analyzed the role of 1.5-T MR imaging in the presurgical evaluation of patients with drug-resistant epilepsy at one center. METHODS: In a 2-year prospective study, 385 patients with drug-resistant epilepsy underwent standardized MR imaging at 1.5 T. We analyzed whether lesions were detected, whether they were precisely characterized by MR imaging, and whether lesion characterization allowed us to estimate seizure outcomes. RESULTS: Lesions were found on MR images in 318 patients (83%). Following presurgical evaluation, 209 (66%) underwent surgery, and 109 (34%) did not. Freedom from seizures was achieved in 130 (70%) of 186 patients. Nine (14%) of 66 patients without an MR imaging lesion underwent surgery; histopathologic findings were unrevealing in seven patients, and five (56%) achieved freedom from seizures. Hippocampal sclerosis was the most common lesion (52%) and correctly characterized in 101 (97%) of 104 patients. Glioneuronal tumors (20%) were sometimes imprecisely characterized: Four nonenhancing gangliogliomas were mistaken for focal cortical dysplasias. Outcomes were not different between lesion groups. However, there were trends toward a favorable outcome for focal cortical dysplasias with balloon cells and an unfavorable outcome for gyral scars. CONCLUSION: MR imaging detection of lesions influences further presurgical workup, though lesion characterization does not allow us to predict seizure outcome. If MR imaging fails to depict a lesion and patients undergo surgery because of electrophysiologic findings, histopathologic findings are often unrevealing.
Adolescent↗