Prognostic patterns and predictors in epilepsy: a multicentre study (PRO-LONG)

2019 ◽  
Vol 90 (11) ◽  
pp. 1276-1285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ettore Beghi ◽  
Simone Beretta ◽  
Davide Carone ◽  
Clara Zanchi ◽  
Elisa Bianchi ◽  
...  

ObjectivesTo describe the long-term prognosis of epilepsy and prognostic patterns in a large cohort of newly diagnosed patients and identify prognostic factors.MethodsStudy participants were 13 Italian epilepsy centres with accessible records dating back to 2005 or earlier, complete data on seizure outcome and treatments, precise epilepsy diagnosis, and follow-up of at least 10 years. Records were examined by trained neurology residents for demographics, seizure characteristics, neurological signs, psychiatric comorbidity, first electroencephalogram (EEG) and MRI/CT, epilepsy type and aetiology, antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), and 1-year, 2-year, 5-year and 10-year seizure remissions. Five predefined prognostic patterns were identified: early remission, late remission, relapsing-remitting course, worsening course and no remission. Prognostic factors were assessed using multinomial logistic regression models.Results1006 children and adults were followed for 17 892 person-years (median 16 years; range 10–57). During follow-up, 923 patients (91.7%) experienced 1-year remission. 2-year, 5-year and 10-year remissions were present in 89.5%, 77.1% and 44.4% of cases. 5-year remission was associated with one to two seizures at diagnosis, generalised epilepsy, no psychiatric comorbidity, and treatment with one or two AEDs during follow-up. 10-year remission was associated with one or two AEDs. The most common prognostic pattern was relapsing-remitting (52.2%), followed by early remission (24.5%). 8.3% of cases experienced no remission. Predictors of a relapsing-remitting course were <6 seizures at diagnosis, (presumed) genetic aetiology and no psychiatric comorbidity.ConclusionsFew seizures at diagnosis, generalised epilepsy and no psychiatric comorbidity predict early or late seizure freedom in epilepsy. Achieving remission at any time after the diagnosis does not exclude further relapses.

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (04) ◽  
pp. 279-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Catsman-Berrevoets ◽  
R. Neuteboom ◽  
E. Krijgh

Introduction West syndrome (WS) is a devastating epileptic encephalopathy with substantial mortality. After a study by Riikonen in 1996, further data on mortality and prognostic factors for survival has been scarce. We aimed to study mortality in patients with WS and identify prognostic factors for survival. Methods We performed a single-center retrospective study in a tertiary referral clinic (Erasmus University Hospital/Sophia Children's Hospital). This study obtained data from deceased patients regarding the age of death and cause of death. Seizure outcome was assessed at 8 weeks after the start of treatment and at 1 year after the onset of WS. At 1 year of follow-up seizure frequency, number of antiepileptic drugs and seizure type were evaluated. Results With a mean follow-up of 60 months (range 8–314 months), 162 patients met the inclusion criteria. At 8 weeks and 1 year of follow-up, 64 patients (40%) were seizure free. Overall, 37 patients (23%) died. The cumulative mortality percentage was 31%. Seizure freedom was an independent predictor of survival (p = 0.01). Conclusion In this study, remission of seizures at 8 weeks of follow-up was significantly associated with reduced mortality in patients with WS.


Neurosurgery ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 258-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Gonzalez-Martinez ◽  
Jeffrey Mullin ◽  
Juan Bulacio ◽  
Ajay Gupta ◽  
Rei Enatsu ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND: Although stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) has been shown to be a valuable tool for preoperative decision making in focal epilepsy, there are few reports addressing the utility and safety of SEEG methodology applied to children and adolescents. OBJECTIVE: To present the results of our early experience using SEEG in pediatric patients with difficult-to-localize epilepsy who were not considered candidates for subdural grid evaluation. METHODS: Thirty children and adolescents with the diagnosis of medically refractory focal epilepsy (not considered ideal candidates for subdural grids and strip placement) underwent SEEG implantation. Demographics, electrophysiological localization of the hypothetical epileptogenic zone, complications, and seizure outcome after resections were analyzed. RESULTS: Eighteen patients (60%) underwent resections after SEEG implantations. In patients who did not undergo resections (12 patients), reasons included failure to localize the epileptogenic zone (4 patients); multifocal epileptogenic zone (4 patients); epileptogenic zone located in eloquent cortex, preventing resection (3 patients); and improvement in seizures after the implantation (1 patient). In patients who subsequently underwent resections, 10 patients (55.5%) were seizure free (Engel class I) and 5 patients (27.7%) experienced seizure improvement (Engel class II or III) at the end of the follow-up period (mean, 25.9 months; range, 12 to 47 months). The complication rate in SEEG implantations was 3%. CONCLUSION: The SEEG methodology is safe and should be considered in children/adolescents with difficult-to-localize epilepsy. When applied to highly complex and difficult-to-localize pediatric patients, SEEG may provide an additional opportunity for seizure freedom in association with a low morbidity rate.


Neurosurgery ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 77 (5) ◽  
pp. 762-768 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian von der Brelie ◽  
Matthias Simon ◽  
Jonas Esche ◽  
Johannes Schramm ◽  
Azize Boström

Abstract BACKGROUND: Epilepsy is the second most common symptom in cerebral arteriovenous malformation (AVM) patients. The consecutive reduction of life quality is a clinically underrated problem because treatment usually focuses on the prevention of intracerebral hemorrhage. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate postoperative seizure outcome with the aim of more accurate counseling for postoperative seizure outcome. METHODS: From 1985 to 2012, 293 patients with an AVM were surgically treated by J.S. One hundred twenty-six patients with preoperative seizures or epilepsy could be identified; 103 of 126 had a follow-up of at least 12 months and were included in the analysis. The different epilepsy subtypes were categorized (sporadic seizures, chronic epilepsy, drug-resistant epilepsy [DRE]). Preoperative workup and surgical technique were evaluated. Seizure outcome was analyzed by using International League Against Epilepsy classification. RESULTS: Sporadic seizures were identified in 41% of patients (chronic epilepsy and DRE were identified in 36% and 23%, respectively). Detailed preoperative epileptological workup was done in 13%. Seizure freedom was achieved in 77% (79% at 5 years, 84% at 10 years). Outcome was significantly poorer in DRE cases. More extensive resection was performed in 11 cases with longstanding symptoms (&gt;24 months) and resulted in better seizure outcome as well as the short duration of preoperative seizure history. CONCLUSION: Patients presenting with AVM-associated epilepsy have a favorable seizure outcome after surgical treatment. Long-standing epilepsy and the progress into DRE markedly deteriorate the chances to obtain seizure freedom and should be considered an early factor in establishing the indication for AVM removal.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
V Dimakopoulos ◽  
P Mégevand ◽  
E Boran ◽  
S Momjian ◽  
M Seeck ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundInterictal high frequency oscillations (HFO) are discussed as biomarkers for epileptogenic brain tissue that should be resected in epilepsy surgery to achieve seizure freedom. The prospective classification of tissue sampled by individual electrode contacts remains a challenge. We have developed an automated, prospective definition of clinically relevant HFO in intracranial EEG (iEEG) from MNI Montreal and tested it in iEEG from Zurich. We here validate the algorithm on iEEG recorded in an independent epilepsy center so that HFO analysis was blinded to seizure outcome.MethodsWe selected consecutive patients from Geneva University Hospitals who underwent resective epilepsy surgery with postsurgical follow-up > 12 months. We analyzed long-term iEEG recordings during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep that we segmented into intervals of 5 min. HFOs were defined in the ripple (80-250 Hz) and the fast ripple (FR, 250-500 Hz) frequency band. Contacts with the highest rate of ripples co-occurring with FR (FRandR) designated the HFO area. If the HFO area was not fully resected and the patient suffered from recurrent seizures (ILAE 2-6), this was classified as a true positive (TP) prediction.ResultsWe included iEEG recordings from 16 patients (median age 32 y, range [18-53]) with stereotactic depth electrodes and/or with subdural electrode grids (median follow-up 27 mo, range [12-55]). The HFO area had high test-retest reliability across intervals (median dwell time 95%). We excluded two patients with dwell time < 50% from further analysis.The HFO area was fully included in the resected volume in 2/4 patients who achieved postoperative seizure freedom (ILAE 1, specificity 50%) and was not fully included in 9/10 patients with recurrent seizures (ILAE > 1, sensitivity 90%), leading to an accuracy of 79%.ConclusionsWe validated the automated procedure to delineate the clinical relevant HFO area in individual patients of an independently recorded dataset and achieved the same good accuracy as in our previous studies.SignificanceThe reproducibility of our results across datasets is promising for a multicienter study testing the clinical application of HFO detection to guide epilepsy surgery.


Neurosurgery ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 83 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Bonini ◽  
Aileen McGonigal ◽  
Didier Scavarda ◽  
Romain Carron ◽  
Jean Régis ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND Resective surgery established treatment for pharmacoresistant frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE), but seizure outcome and prognostic indicators are poorly characterized and vary between studies. OBJECTIVE To study long-term seizure outcome and identify prognostic factors. METHODS We retrospectively analyzed 42 FLE patients having undergone surgical resection, mostly preceded by invasive recordings with stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG). Postsurgical outcome up to 10-yr follow-up and prognostic indicators were analyzed using Kaplan–Meier analysis and multivariate and conditional inference procedures. RESULTS At the time of last follow-up, 57.1% of patients were seizure-free. The estimated chance of seizure freedom was 67% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 54-83) at 6 mo, 59% (95% CI: 46-76) at 1 yr, 53% (95% CI: 40-71) at 2 yr, and 46% (95% CI: 32-66) at 5 yr. Most relapses (83%) occurred within the first 12 mo. Multivariate analysis showed that completeness of resection of the epileptogenic zone (EZ) as defined by SEEG was the main predictor of seizure outcome. According to conditional inference trees, in patients with complete resection of the EZ, focal cortical dysplasia as etiology and focal EZ were positive prognostic indicators. No difference in outcome was found in patients with positive vs negative magnetic resonance imaging. CONCLUSION Surgical resection in drug-resistant FLE can be a successful therapeutic approach, even in the absence of neuroradiologically visible lesions. SEEG may be highly useful in both nonlesional and lesional FLE cases, because complete resection of the EZ as defined by SEEG is associated with better prognosis.


2019 ◽  
Vol 131 (6) ◽  
pp. 1763-1772
Author(s):  
Ajay Niranjan ◽  
Ahmed Kashkoush ◽  
Hideyuki Kano ◽  
Edward A. Monaco ◽  
John C. Flickinger ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVESeizures are the second-most common presenting symptom in patients with lobar arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). However, few studies have assessed the long-term effect of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) on seizure control. The authors of this study assess the outcome of SRS for these patients to identify prognostic factors associated with seizure control.METHODSPatients with AVM who presented with a history of seizure and underwent SRS at the authors’ institution between 1987 and 2012 were retrospectively assessed. The total cohort included 155 patients with a mean follow-up of 86 months (range 6–295 months). Primary outcomes assessed were seizure frequency, antiepileptic drug regimen, and seizure freedom for 6 months prior to last follow-up.RESULTSSeizure-free status was achieved in 108 patients (70%), with an additional 23 patients (15%) reporting improved seizure frequency as compared to their pre-SRS status. The median time to seizure-free status was estimated to be 12 months (95% CI 0–27 months) as evaluated via Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. The mean seizure frequency prior to SRS was 14.2 (95% CI 5.4–23.1) episodes per year. Although not all patients tried, the proportion of patients successfully weaned off all antiepileptic drugs was 18% (28/155 patients). On multivariate logistic regression, focal impaired awareness seizure type (also known as complex partial seizures) and superficial venous drainage were significantly associated with a decreased odds ratio for seizure-free status at last follow-up (OR 0.37 [95% CI 0.15–0.92] for focal impaired awareness seizures; OR 0.36 [95% CI 0.16–0.81] for superficial venous drainage). The effects of superficial venous drainage on seizure outcome were nonsignificant when excluding patients with < 2 years of follow-up. AVM obliteration did not correlate with long-term seizure freedom (p = 0.202, chi-square test).CONCLUSIONSThis study suggests that SRS improves long-term seizure control and increases the likelihood of being medication free, independently of AVM obliteration. Patients with focal impaired awareness seizures were less likely to obtain long-term seizure relief.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Ron Gadot ◽  
A. Basit Khan ◽  
Rajan Patel ◽  
Eric Goethe ◽  
Arya Shetty ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVE Meningiomas are the most common primary intracranial tumor. Seizures are common sequelae of meningioma development. Meningioma patients with seizures can be effectively treated with resection, with reports of seizure freedom of 60%–90%. Still, many patients manifest persistent epilepsy. Determining factors associated with worsened seizure outcomes remains critical in improving the quality of life for these patients. The authors sought to identify clinical, radiological, and histological factors associated with worse seizure outcomes in patients with supratentorial meningioma and preoperative seizures. METHODS The authors retrospectively reviewed the charts of 384 patients who underwent meningioma resection from 2008 to 2020. The charts of patients with a documented history of preoperative seizures were further reviewed for clinical, radiological, operative, perioperative, histological, and postoperative factors associated with seizures. Engel class at last follow-up was retrospectively assigned by the authors and further grouped into favorable (class I) and worse (class II–IV) outcomes. Factors were subsequently compared by group using comparative statistics. Univariable and multivariable regression models were utilized to identify independent predictors of worse seizure outcome. RESULTS Fifty-nine patients (15.4%) were found to have preoperative seizures, of whom 57 had sufficient postoperative data to determine Engel class outcome. Forty-two patients (74%) had Engel class I outcomes. The median follow-up was 17 months. Distinct margins on preoperative imaging (p = 0.012), Simpson grade I resection (p = 0.004), postresection ischemia (p = 0.019), WHO grade (p = 0.019), and recurrent disease (p = 0.015) were found to be the strongest predictors of Engel class outcome in univariable logistic regression. MIB-1 index (p = 0.001) and residual volume (p = 0.014) at last follow-up were found to be the strongest predictors of Engel class outcome in univariable generalized linear regression. Postresection ischemia (p = 0.012), WHO grade (p = 0.022), recurrent disease (p = 0.038), and MIB-1 index (p = 0.002) were found to be the strongest independent predictors of Engel class outcomes in multivariable analysis. CONCLUSIONS Postresection ischemia, higher WHO grade, elevated MIB-1 index, and disease recurrence independently predict postresection seizure persistence in patients with supratentorial meningioma. Further understanding of the etiology of these markers may aid in elucidation of this complex disease process and guide management to prevent worse outcomes.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Massimo Cossu ◽  
Michele Nichelatti ◽  
Alessandro De Benedictis ◽  
Michele Rizzi

OBJECTIVE Lateral periinsular hemispherotomy (LPH) and vertical parasagittal hemispherotomy (VPH) are the most popular disconnective techniques for intractable epilepsies associated with unilateral hemispheric pathologies. The authors aimed to investigate possible differences in seizure outcome and complication rates between patients who underwent LPH and VPH. METHODS A comprehensive literature search of PubMed and Embase identified English-language articles published from database inception to December 2019 that reported series (minimum 12 patients with follow-up ≥ 12 months) on either LPH or VPH. Pooled rates of seizure freedom and complications (with a particular focus on hydrocephalus) were analyzed using meta-analysis to calculate both fixed and random effects. Heterogeneity (Cochran’s Q test) and inconsistency (fraction of Q due to actual heterogeneity) were also calculated. RESULTS Twenty-five studies were included. Data from 825 patients were available for seizure outcome analysis (583 underwent LPH and 242 underwent VPH), and data from 692 patients were available for complication analysis (453 underwent LPH and 239 underwent VPH). No differences were found in the pooled rates of Engel class I seizure outcome between patients who underwent LPH (80.02% and 79.44% with fixed and random effects, respectively) and VPH (79.89% and 80.69% with fixed and random effects, respectively) (p = 0.953). No differences were observed in the pooled rates of shunted hydrocephalus between patients who underwent LPH (11.34% and 10.63% with fixed and random effects, respectively) and VPH (11.07% and 9.98% with fixed and random effects, respectively) (p = 0.898). Significant heterogeneity and moderate inconsistency were determined for hydrocephalus occurrence in patients who underwent both LPH and VPH. CONCLUSIONS LPH and VPH techniques present similar excellent seizure outcomes, with comparable and acceptable safety profiles.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Juan C. Bulacio ◽  
James Bena ◽  
Piradee Suwanpakdee ◽  
Dileep Nair ◽  
Ajay Gupta ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate seizure outcomes after resective epilepsy surgery following stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG), including group characteristics, comparing surgical and nonsurgical groups and assess predictors of time to seizure recurrence. METHODS Clinical and EEG data of 536 consecutive patients who underwent SEEG at Cleveland Clinic Epilepsy Center between 2009 and 2017 were reviewed. The primary outcome was defined as complete seizure freedom since the resective surgery, discounting any auras or seizures that occurred within the 1st postoperative week. In addition, the rate of seizure freedom based on Engel classification was determined in patients with follow-up of ≥ 1 year. Presumably significant outcome variables were first identified using univariate analysis, and Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to identify outcome predictors. RESULTS Of 527 patients satisfying study criteria, 341 underwent resective surgery. Complete and continuous seizure freedom after surgery was achieved in 55.5% of patients at 1 year postoperatively, 44% of patients at 3 years, and 39% of patients at 5 years. As a secondary outcome point, 58% of patients achieved Engel class I seizure outcome for at least 1 year at last follow-up. Among surgical outcome predictors, in multivariate model analysis, the seizure recurrence rate by type of resection (p = 0.039) remained statistically significant, with the lowest risk of recurrence occurring after frontal and temporal lobe resections compared with multilobar and posterior quadrant surgeries. Patients with a history of previous resection (p = 0.006) and bilateral implantations (p = 0.023) were more likely to have seizure recurrence. The absence of an MRI abnormality prior to resective surgery did not significantly affect seizure outcome in this cohort. CONCLUSIONS This large, single-center series shows that resective surgery leads to continuous seizure freedom in a group of patients with complex and severe pharmacoresistant epilepsy after SEEG evaluation. In addition, up to 58% of patients achieved seizure freedom at last follow-up. The authors’ results suggest that SEEG is equally effective in patients with frontal and temporal lobe epilepsy with or without MRI identified lesions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 132 (5) ◽  
pp. 1345-1357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Rizzi ◽  
Martina Revay ◽  
Piergiorgio d’Orio ◽  
Pina Scarpa ◽  
Valeria Mariani ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVESurgical treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy originating from the posterior quadrant (PQ) of the brain often requires large multilobar resections, and disconnective techniques have been advocated to limit the risks associated with extensive tissue removal. Few previous studies have described a tailored temporoparietooccipital (TPO) disconnective approach; only small series with short postoperative follow-ups have been reported. The aim of the present study was to present a tailored approach to multilobar PQ disconnections (MPQDs) for epilepsy and to provide details about selection of patients, presurgical investigations, surgical technique, treatment safety profile, and seizure and cognitive outcome in a large, single-center series of patients with a long-term follow-up.METHODSIn this retrospective longitudinal study, the authors searched their prospectively collected database for patients who underwent MPQD for drug-resistant epilepsy in the period of 2005–2017. Tailored MPQDs were a posteriori grouped as follows: type I (classic full TPO disconnection), type II (partial TPO disconnection), type III (full temporooccipital [TO] disconnection), and type IV (partial TO disconnection), according to the disconnection plane in the occipitoparietal area. A bivariate statistical analysis was carried out to identify possible predictors of seizure outcome (Engel class I vs classes II–IV) among several presurgical, surgical, and postsurgical variables. Preoperative and postoperative cognitive profiles were also collected and evaluated.RESULTSForty-two consecutive patients (29 males, 24 children) met the inclusion criteria. According to the presurgical evaluation (including stereo-electroencephalography in 13 cases), 12 (28.6%), 24 (57.1%), 2 (4.8%), and 4 (9.5%) patients received a type I, II, III, or IV MPQD, respectively. After a mean follow-up of 80.6 months, 76.2% patients were in Engel class I at last contact; at 6 months and 2 and 5 years postoperatively, Engel class I was recorded in 80.9%, 74.5%, and 73.5% of cases, respectively. Factors significantly associated with seizure freedom were the occipital pattern of seizure semiology and the absence of bilateral interictal epileptiform abnormalities at the EEG (p = 0.02). Severe complications occurred in 4.8% of the patients. The available neuropsychological data revealed postsurgical improvement in verbal domains, whereas nonunivocal outcomes were recorded in the other functions.CONCLUSIONSThe presented data indicate that the use of careful anatomo-electro-clinical criteria in the presurgical evaluation allows for customizing the extent of surgical disconnections in PQ epilepsies, with excellent results on seizures and an acceptable safety profile.


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