209 Surgical Outcomes with Insular and Insular-Plus Pediatric Epilepsy: A Single-Institution Experience

Neurosurgery ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 64 (CN_suppl_1) ◽  
pp. 256-256
Author(s):  
Andrew T Hale ◽  
Luke Tomycz ◽  
Ali S Haider ◽  
Dave Clarke ◽  
Mark R Lee

Abstract INTRODUCTION It has been increasingly recognized that the insular cortex plays an important role in frontotemporal-parietal epilepsy (FTPE) in children. The insula, however, cannot be properly interrogated with conventional subdural grids, and its anatomy makes it difficult to implicate the insula with semiology or non-invasive modalities. At last year's meeting, we reported on the safety and utility of insular-depth electrode placement for interrogation of the insula. Here, we report post-surgical outcomes on 31 patients with insular-depth electrode confirmed refractory epilepsy. METHODS We used Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) billing records to identify cases of depth electrode insertion performed at our institution. Clinical information, operative reports, and pathology data from patients undergoing operative intervention was then retrospectively collected. RESULTS >Thirty-one patients underwent direct invasive sampling implicating the insula in seizure onset and prompted either thermoablation or surgical resection of some portion of the insula. Fourteen patients had biopsy-proven cortical dysplasia, Fourteen patients had suspected cortical dysplasia, two patients had tuberous sclerosis and one patient had a primary brain tumor. Fourteen patients had prior intracranial operations. Fourteen patients underwent thermoablation of the insula and seventeen underwent resection of some portion of the insula. 31% of patients who underwent thermoablation of the insular had an Engel Class outcome of I compared to 63% of patients who underwent open insular resection. Thus, in our cohort, insular resection was superior to thermoablation in achieving superior functional outcomes as measured by Engel Class. CONCLUSION Surgical resection and thermoablation of the insula are both acceptable treatments for insular and insular-plus epilepsy. In our cohort, outcomes with surgical resection were improved, although the reasons for this are unclear. Further study is required to delineate optimal operative care in patients with insular and insular-plus epilepsy.

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 310-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke D Tomycz ◽  
Andrew T Hale ◽  
Ali S Haider ◽  
Dave F Clarke ◽  
Mark R Lee

Abstract BACKGROUND It has been increasingly recognized that the insular cortex plays an important role in frontotemporal-parietal epilepsy in children. The insula, however, cannot be properly interrogated with conventional subdural grids, and its anatomy makes it difficult to implicate the insula with semiology or noninvasive modalities. Frame-based, stereotactic placement of insular depth electrodes for direct extraoperative monitoring is a relatively low-risk maneuver that allows for conclusive interrogation of this region, and, in select cases, can easily be replaced with a laser applicator for minimally invasive treatment via thermoablation. OBJECTIVE To describe the largest reported series of pediatric patients with refractory epilepsy undergoing insular depth electrode placement. METHODS We used current procedural terminology billing records to identify cases of depth electrode insertion performed at our institution. Clinical information from patients undergoing invasive insular sampling was then retrospectively collected. RESULTS Seventy-four insular depth electrodes were placed in 49 patients for extraoperative, inpatient monitoring. The decision to place insular depth electrodes was determined by a multidisciplinary epilepsy team. In 65.3% of cases, direct invasive sampling implicated the insula in seizure onset and prompted either thermoablation or surgical resection of some portion of the insula. There were no serious adverse effects or complications associated with the placement of insular depth electrodes. CONCLUSION Given the low morbidity of insular depth electrode insertion and the high proportion of patients who exhibited insular involvement, it is worth considering whether insular depth electrodes should be part of the standard presurgical evaluation in children with treatment-refractory frontotemporal-parietal epilepsy.


Neurosurgery ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 79 (4) ◽  
pp. 578-588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillaume Gras-Combe ◽  
Lorella Minotti ◽  
Dominique Hoffmann ◽  
Alexandre Krainik ◽  
Philippe Kahane ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND Hidden by the perisylvian operculi, insular cortex has long been underexplored in the context of epilepsy surgery. Recent studies advocated stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) as a reliable tool to explore insular cortex and its involvement in intractable epilepsy and suggested that insular seizures could be an underestimated entity. However, the results of insular resection to treat pharmacoresistant epilepsy are rarely reported. OBJECTIVE We report 6 consecutive cases of right insular resection performed based on anatomoelectroclinical correlations provided by SEEG. METHODS Six right-handed patients (3 male, 3 female) with drug-resistant epilepsy underwent comprehensive presurgical evaluation. Based on video electroencephalographic recordings, they all underwent SEEG evaluation with bilateral (n = 4) or unilateral right (n = 2) insular depth electrode placement. All patients had both orthogonal and oblique (1 anterior, 1 posterior) insular electrodes (n = 4-6 electrodes). Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging findings were normal in 4 patients, 1 patient had right insular focal cortical dysplasia, and 1 patient had a right opercular postoperative scar (cavernous angioma). All patients underwent right partial insular corticectomy via the subpial transopercular approach. RESULTS Intracerebral recordings demonstrated an epileptogenic zone confined to the right insula in all patients. After selective insular resection, 5 of 6 patients were seizure free (Engel class I) with a mean follow-up of 36.2 months (range, 18-68 months). Histological findings revealed focal cortical dysplasia in 5 patients and a gliosis scar in 1 patient. All patients had minor transient neurological deficit (eg, facial paresis, dysarthria). CONCLUSION Insular resection based on SEEG findings can be performed safely with a significant chance of seizure freedom.


Epilepsia ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 55 (10) ◽  
pp. 1568-1575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laila Alshafai ◽  
Ayako Ochi ◽  
Cristina Go ◽  
Blathnaid McCoy ◽  
Cynthia Hawkins ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
M Ranjan ◽  
Y Starreveld ◽  
L Bello-Espinosa ◽  
S Wiebe ◽  
S Singh ◽  
...  

Background: Exploration of the insular cortex is now commonly considered in patients with refractory epilepsy requiring invasive EEG investigations. The safety and yield of routine insular exploration is uncertain. Methods: All patients (pediatric and adult) who had invasive EEG (iEEG) with insular depth electrode placement, either through SEEG or open implantation, were reviewed. Ictal insular involvement was characterized as primary, secondary or not involved. Results of insular resections were recorded. Results: A total of 173 patients had iEEG of which 26 included insular electrodes (SEEG-18, Open - 8). No complications of placement were identified. Insular involvement was seen in 20 (76%) patients. Primary ictal involvement was identified in 9 (33 %) patients, while secondary spread was noted in 11 (42 %) patients. Six patients went on to have resections including the insular cortex of which 5 patients achieved good seizure control (Engle class I/II). Conclusions: Insular depth electrode placement is a safe and effective adjunct to invasive EEG investigations. Ictal involvement of the insular cortex was commonly identified in our series leading to inclusion of the insula in cortical resections with good seizure control, which may not have been considered without iEEG evidence.


2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 284-292
Author(s):  
Eisha A. Christian ◽  
Elysa Widjaja ◽  
Ayako Ochi ◽  
Hiroshi Otsubo ◽  
Stephanie Holowka ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVESmall lesions at the depth of the sulcus, such as with bottom-of-sulcus focal cortical dysplasia, are not visible from the surface of the brain and can therefore be technically challenging to resect. In this technical note, the authors describe their method of using depth electrodes as landmarks for the subsequent resection of these exacting lesions.METHODSA retrospective review was performed on pediatric patients who had undergone invasive electroencephalography with depth electrodes that were subsequently used as guides for resection in the period between July 2015 and June 2017.RESULTSTen patients (3–15 years old) met the criteria for this study. At the same time as invasive subdural grid and/or strip insertion, between 2 and 4 depth electrodes were placed using a hand-held frameless neuronavigation technique. Of the total 28 depth electrodes inserted, all were found within the targeted locations on postoperative imaging. There was 1 patient in whom an asymptomatic subarachnoid hemorrhage was demonstrated on postprocedural imaging. Depth electrodes aided in target identification in all 10 cases.CONCLUSIONSDepth electrodes placed at the time of invasive intracranial electrode implantation can be used to help localize, target, and resect primary zones of epileptogenesis caused by bottom-of-sulcus lesions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 84 (3) ◽  
pp. 331-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleonora Tamilia ◽  
Eun-Hyoung Park ◽  
Stefania Percivati ◽  
Jeffrey Bolton ◽  
Fabrizio Taffoni ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 511-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander G. Weil ◽  
Aria Fallah ◽  
Evan C. Lewis ◽  
Sanjiv Bhatia

OBJECTIVE Insular lobe epilepsy (ILE) is an under-recognized cause of extratemporal epilepsy and explains some epilepsy surgery failures in children with drug-resistant epilepsy. The diagnosis of ILE usually requires invasive investigation with insular sampling; however, the location of the insula below the opercula and the dense middle cerebral artery vasculature renders its sampling challenging. Several techniques have been described, ranging from open direct placement of orthogonal subpial depth and strip electrodes through a craniotomy to frame-based stereotactic placement of orthogonal or oblique electrodes using stereo-electroencephalography principles. The authors describe an alternative method for sampling the insula, which involves placing insular depth electrodes along the long axis of the insula through the insular apex following dissection of the sylvian fissure in conjunction with subdural electrodes over the lateral hemispheric/opercular region. The authors report the feasibility, advantages, disadvantages, and role of this approach in investigating pediatric insular-opercular refractory epilepsy. METHODS The authors performed a retrospective analysis of all children (< 18 years old) who underwent invasive intracranial studies involving the insula between 2002 and 2015. RESULTS Eleven patients were included in the study (5 boys). The mean age at surgery was 7.6 years (range 0.5–16 years). All patients had drug-resistant epilepsy as defined by the International League Against Epilepsy and underwent comprehensive noninvasive epilepsy surgery workup. Intracranial monitoring was performed in all patients using 1 parasagittal insular electrode (1 patient had 2 electrodes) in addition to subdural grids and strips tailored to the suspected epileptogenic zone. In 10 patients, extraoperative monitoring was used; in 1 patient, intraoperative electrocorticography was used alone without extraoperative monitoring. The mean number of insular contacts was 6.8 (range 4–8), and the mean number of fronto-parieto-temporal hemispheric contacts was 61.7 (range 40–92). There were no complications related to placement of these depth electrodes. All 11 patients underwent subsequent resective surgery involving the insula. CONCLUSIONS Parasagittal transinsular apex depth electrode placement is a feasible alternative to orthogonally placed open or oblique-placed stereotactic methodologies. This method is safe and best suited for suspected unilateral cases with a possible extensive insular-opercular epileptogenic zone.


Author(s):  
BHARATHI K ◽  
MANOJ CHANDRASEKAR ◽  
KAPIL DEV KUMAR S ◽  
BALA JAGANNATH GUPTA B

The surgical resection of the head and neck lesions summarizes the principles, classifications, applications, complications, and post-operative care of osteotomy with the standard protocols performed safely. It often poses a great surgical challenge due to the anatomical complexity, difficulty in accessibility, and proximity of vital structures. A multidisciplinary approach is often required in these situations for their better exposure to provide surgical access. Access osteotomy is the choice and type for these head and neck lesions, which are most often based on the anatomic extent of the lesion, vascularity of the lesion, and involvement of neurovascular structures in and around it. The literature search using Medline from the year 1986 to 2019 were performed and textbooks were also collected by hand search from the same period. The role of aggressive surgical resection has not been established for malignant head and neck lesions with the technical feasibility and its efficacy for specific tumor types must be defined by the future studies. Thus, we would like to conclude that access osteotomy allows the surgeon a better view and an access of the surgical field to resect the tumor completely with safer margins, preserving the vital structures, pre-operative functions, and reducing post-operative complications.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Joon Suh ◽  
Jung Ho Park ◽  
Sanchir-Erdene Bilegsaikhan ◽  
Dong Jin Lee

Prediction of malignant behavior of pheochromocytoma (PC) or paraganglioma (PG) is of limited value. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the French ‘Cortico et Médullosurrénale: les Tumeurs Endocrines’ (COMETE) network in Paris (France) facilitate accurate differentiation of malignant PC/PG based on genetic information. Therefore, the objective of this transcriptome analysis is to identify the prognostic genes underlying the differentiation of malignant PC/PG in the TCGA and COMETE databases. TCGA carries data pertaining to multigenomic analysis of 173 PC/PG surgical resection samples while the COMETE cohort contains data involving 188 PC/PG surgical resection samples. Clinical information and mRNA expression datasets were downloaded from TCGA and COMETE databases. Based on eligibility criteria, 58 of 173 PC/PG samples in TCGA and 171 of 188 PC/PG samples collected by the COMETE network were selected. Using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis, the mRNA expression of malignant and benign PC/PG was compared. The 58 samples in TCGA included 11 malignant and 47 benign cases. Among the 171 samples obtained from the COMETE cohort, 19 were malignant and 152 were benign. A comparative analysis of the mRNA expression data of the two databases revealed that 11 up/downregulated pathways involved in malignant PC/PG were related to cancer signaling, metabolic alteration, and prominent mitosis, whereas 6 upregulated genes and 1 downregulated gene were significantly enriched in the functional annotation pathways. The TCGA and COMETE databases showed differences in mRNA expression associated with malignant and benign PC/PG. Improved recognition of prognostic genes facilitates the diagnosis and treatment of PC/PG.


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