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Xenon/CT cerebral blood flow studies during continuous depth electrode monitoring in epilepsy patients.

PURPOSE: To observe and describe cerebral blood flow (CBF) alterations immediately following depth electrode stimulation of the temporal lobe in patients with medically intractable epilepsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five patients with partial epilepsy undergoing presurgical evaluation were chosen for xenon/CT cerebral blood flow (Xe/CT CBF) measurement immediately following electrically stimulated seizures via stereotactically placed temporal lobe depth electrodes. Each patient had a baseline Xe/CT CBF study. Four of the five patients had a total of seven temporal lobe stimulations each followed by a Xe/CT CBF study. The other patient had right temporal lobe electrical status epilepticus and was scanned without stimulation or electroencephalogram monitoring. RESULTS: Of the four baseline or interictal scans, no areas of abnormally low flow were detected, but one baseline scan had elevated flows of 115 mL.100 g-1.min-1 in the left temporal lobe. One stimulation elicited 8 seconds of afterdischarge potentials, but no alteration of CBF was detected. One stimulation elicited an aura but no electrographic seizure was detected. This resulted, however, in bitemporal lobe elevation of CBF. The other five temporal lobe stimulations resulted in 17-63 seconds of afterdischarge potentials and all resulted in elevation of CBF to 69-118 mL.100 g-1.min-1. One of these five stimulations resulted in seizure and localized elevation of CBF. Following seizure activity, elevated CBF began to return to baseline levels by 20 minutes. CONCLUSION: This study reveals a direct spatial and temporal relationship of elevated CBF with seizures. This study provides the most direct data to date in human subjects that focal seizure activity elevates CBF. Since seizures are known to increase metabolic activity in the activated tissue, this data also supports the assumption of coupling between CBF and metabolism during the pathologic process of a seizure.

Adult↗

Absence seizures associated with panic attacks initially misdiagnosed as temporal lobe epilepsy: the importance of prolonged EEG monitoring in diagnosis.

While temporal lobe epilepsy is often considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with anxiety or panic disorders, other types of epilepsy can confound the presentation or treatment of adults with panic disorders. The cases of two patients are presented who were initially thought to have temporal lobe epilepsy producing panic attacks, but who were subsequently found to have primary generalized seizures. The clinical implications are discussed.

Adult↗

Nocturnal partial seizures and arousals/awakenings from sleep: an ambulatory EEG study.

The architecture of nocturnal sleep in twenty subjects (9 males, 11 females, mean age 27 years) affected by partial cryptogenic epilepsy was investigated by means of ambulatory EEG (A-EEG) recording performed at home. The study aimed in particular to ascertain the immediate effects of nocturnal partial epileptic seizures on sleep stability and continuity. Data for a total of 49 recorded seizures indicate that 72% of the partial seizures which occurred during sleep were followed by arousal and awakening, and that sleep interruption lasted significantly longer when the seizure occurred between 4 and 7 a.m.

Adolescent↗

Interhemispheric memory transfer in the intracarotid amobarbital procedure.

The authors examined interhemispheric memory transfer in 32 patients with lateralized temporal lobe complex partial epilepsy (15 right onsets, 17 left onsets). Visually presented verbal, nonverbal, and two types of dually encodable stimuli were displayed during amobarbital anesthesia, and recognition memory was tested with verbal and nonverbal (pointing) response modalities. No relationship was found between the material specificity of stimuli and response modality. The only significant findings were for poorer recognition memory after injection of the hemisphere contralateral to the seizure focus. Visual information presented predominantly to one hemisphere during anesthesia is available to the other hemisphere for recognition memory on clearing.

Adult↗

Functional MR of frontal lobe activation: comparison with Wada language results.

PURPOSE: Our purpose was to determine the utility of functional MR imaging in conjunction with a word-generation paradigm in the assessment of language lateralization. METHODS: Functional MR imaging and Wada testing for language lateralization was performed in patients with complex partial seizures during the performance of word-generation tasks. A language lateralization quotient was calculated from the number of activated pixels in the right and left hemispheres. A language laterality score was derived from the Wada results as the percentage of correct responses during right internal carotid artery injection minus the percentage of correct responses during left internal carotid injection. A correlation coefficient between the functional MR imaging results and the Wada language laterality scores was calculated. RESULTS: In 13 patients, hemispheric dominance based on Wada testing was confirmed by functional MR imaging during silent word generation. The Wada laterality scores varied from 100 to -100 and the functional MR imaging scores varied from 100 to -10. The language lateralization scores determined by functional MR imaging correlated significantly with the language lateralization scores derived from Wada testing. CONCLUSION: Functional MR imaging performed during word generation is an accurate method for lateralizing language function in patients with complex partial epilepsy.

Adult↗

[Mesial temporal sclerosis (II): clinical features and complementary studies].

OBJECTIVE: To collect clinical data and diagnostic characteristics of the mesial temporal sclerosis syndrome (MTS). Development. CLINICAL FEATURES: In MTS repeated temporal lobe seizures, difficult to control pharmacologically, are seen in patients with neuropsychological defects which can be shown by appropriate tests. There is no pathognomonic clinical data. However, there is frequently: 1. Onset of seizures during childhood (6-10 years old). 2. Presence of some type of aura. The only significantly related types are visceral, olfactory and uncinate. 3. A pattern of conduct typical of ictus, although this is nonspecific: Early ipsilateral manual automatism and contralateral tonic posture. 4. Infrequent generalization. Surface EEG: Acute elements and/or slow waves in interictal recordings localized to the anterior temporal region, either unilateral or bilateral and with independent expression. MR of encephalum: Two typical ipsilateral findings at the electric focus of independent presentation and not mutually exclusive: a) Hippocampal hyperdensity in T2 sequences. b) Atrophy of hippocampal structures. FDG-PET: Interictal pattern of ipsilateral temporal hyperperfusion with typical maximal involvement of the polar region. SPECT-HMPAO: Early ictal and post-ictal pattern of ipsilateral temporal hyperperfusion. CONCLUSIONS: MTS is a clinical syndrome with its own identity from the clinical and diagnostic point of view. Results of the non-invasive tests currently available make invasive tests unnecessary in the preoperative guidelines for these patients.

Cognition Disorders↗

Early recognition of benign partial epilepsy in infancy.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to determine how precisely we can recognize the outcome in infants with epilepsy beginning in the first year of life. METHODS: We performed a prospective 5-year follow-up study on 63 patients who developed epilepsy in the first year of life. We first judged that patients met the criteria of "possible benign partial epilepsy in infancy (BPEI)" on enrollment in this study. At 2 years of age, we reevaluated the seizure and developmental outcome in the patients who were diagnosed as having "possible BPEI." We finally judged that patients met the criteria of "definite BPEI" at age 5 years. "Possible BPEI" was defined as epilepsy meeting all the following conditions: (a) complex partial seizures and/or secondarily generalized seizures; (b) normal psychomotor development and neurologic findings before onset; (c) normal interictal electroencephalograms; (d) normal cranial computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings; and (e) no seizures during the first 4 weeks of life. "Definite BPEI" was defined as epilepsy meeting all the following criteria in addition to those of "possible BPEI": (a) normal psychomotor development beyond age 5 years, and (b) no seizures beyond age 2 years. RESULTS: Thirty-two of the 63 patients met the inclusion criteria completely and were included in the "possible BPEI" group. Twenty-five of the 32 patients completed the 5-year follow-up. At age 2 years, four patients were excluded from the "possible BPEI" group because of seizure recurrence and/or delayed development. By age 5 years, one had a recurrence of seizures, and another exhibited mildly delayed psychomotor development. We finally diagnosed 19 patients as having "definite BPEI." "Definite BPEI" accounted for 76% of the patients diagnosed as having "possible BPEI" at the first presentation and 90% of those who met the conditions on reevaluation at age 2 years. CONCLUSIONS: Recognition of BPEI is possible, to some extent, at the first presentation, and reevaluation at age 2 years is useful for a more precise diagnosis.

Age Factors↗

Measures of psychopathology in children with complex partial seizures and primary generalized epilepsy with absence.

OBJECTIVE: This investigation examined psychopathology in 48 children with complex partial seizures (CPS), 39 children with primary generalized epilepsy with absence (PGE), and 59 nonepileptic children, aged 5 to 16 years, by comparing the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children (K-SADS). METHOD: The CBCL was completed by parents and the K-SADS was administered to both parent and child. RESULTS: The CBCL identified psychopathology in 26% and the K-SADS in 51% of the CPS and PGE patients (kappa = 0.32). The CPS and PGE groups had significantly higher mean CBCL scores, as well as higher rates of psychiatric diagnoses and symptoms of psychopathology, compared with the nonepileptic group. However, the CPS and PGE groups did not differ in these measures. Within each patient group, Full Scale IQ, but not seizure control, was associated with these measures of psychopathology. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the K-SADS identifies more children with psychopathology than the CBCL in children with CPS and PGE.

Adolescent↗

[Vigabatrin and lamotrigin: experiences with 2 new anticonvulsants in the Swiss epilepsy clinic].

Vigabatrin and lamotrigine are two new antiepileptic drugs which have recently become available. Vigabatrin is a specific and irreversible inhibitor of the enzyme gamma-amino-butyric-acid (GABA) transferase. Its administration leads to a long lasting increase in GABA, the most important inhibitory neurotransmitter. Vigabatrin is effective in both adults and children in the treatment of partial and especially complex-partial seizures. After add-on in vigabatrin to their therapeutic drug regime in 116 of our own patients, 39% of previously therapy resistant patients reported a reduced seizure frequency of at least 50% and 6% of them became seizure free. In secondarily generalized epilepsies the best results were observed in axial (infantile) spasms. In addition there was some improvement in tonic and convulsive seizures. Single patients showed increased myoclonic and clonic seizures. Initial efficacy was not always maintained during follow-up. In the experience of other authors, vigabatrin is also effective in the treatment of infantile spasms. It is not suitable for the treatment of generalized epilepsies with absences and myoclonic seizures. Most patients tolerate vigabatrin very well, although psychotic episodes are sometimes reported. So far there have been no relevant hepatic or hematological side effects. Lamotrigine is also effective in the treatment of partial seizures, for which it is approved. However, uncontrolled studies and our own experience have shown that it is even more effective in generalized seizures. As add-on therapy in absences and tonic or tonic-clonic seizures, a significant reduction in seizure frequency--in individual cases seizure freedom--can be achieved.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

4-Aminobutyrate Transaminase↗

The influence of electroencephalographic focus laterality on efficacy of carbamazepine in complex partial and secondarily generalized tonic-clonic seizures.

Forty-five outpatients with chronic epilepsy with complex partial seizures (CPS) alone or associated with secondarily generalized tonic-clonic seizures (SGTCS) were treated with carbamazepine (CBZ) monotherapy. All patients had only a unilateral scalp electroencephalographic (EEG) focus. Left- (n = 29) and right- (n = 16) sided foci patients were comparable for age, sex, duration, and etiology of epilepsy as well as total and free CBZ serum levels. CBZ significantly improved CPS irrespective of the side of the EEG focus, whereas SGTCS were controlled for greater than 1 year in 15 of 19 patients with left focus and in three of 11 patients with right focus. When patients with poorly controlled seizures discontinued CBZ and changed to other therapies, they achieved a significant reduction in number of SGTCS, whereas the number of CPS was unchanged. The side of EEG focus seemed to be relevant to the control of SGTCS by CBZ. Interhemispheric neurotransmitter asymmetries may be involved in the EEG focus side-dependent CBZ response.

Adult↗