Posterior Quadrant Disconnection for Childhood Onset Sub-Hemispheric Posterior Head Region Epilepsy: Indications in an Indian Cohort and Outcome

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Raju Kadam ◽  
Arivazhagan Arimappamagan ◽  
Malla Bhaskara Rao ◽  
Nishanth Sadashiva ◽  
Ravindranadh Chowdary Mundlamuri ◽  
...  

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Posterior quadrant disconnection (PQD) is an under-utilized surgical technique in the management of refractory epilepsy. There is a dearth of data pertinent to post-PQD seizure outcomes. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> This retrospective study analyzed patients with drug-resistant childhood-onset epilepsy who underwent PQD at our center from 2009 to 2018. The clinical, imaging, and electrophysiological data were reviewed. The seizure outcome was noted from the latest follow-up in all patients. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Fifteen patients underwent PQD, with a mean age at onset of epilepsy of 3.3 ± 4.6 years. All patients had seizure onset in childhood with focal onset of seizures, and in addition, 5 had multiple seizure types. All cases underwent presurgical workup with MRI, video-EEG, psychometry, while PET/MEG was done if required. Engel Ia and ILAE I outcomes were considered to be favorable. The histology of the specimen showed 9 patients (60%) had gliosis, 4 (26.7%) had focal cortical dysplasia (FCD), while 1 patient had nodular heterotopia and another had polymicrogyria-pachygyria complex. Postoperative follow-up was available in 14 cases. One patient was lost to follow-up. Mean follow-up duration for the cohort was 45 + 24 months. At last, follow-up (<i>n</i> = 14), 66.7% (10 cases) had favorable outcome (Engel Ia). At the end of 1-year follow-up, up to 73% (<i>n</i> = 11) of the patients were seizure-free. Four patients developed transient hemiparesis after surgery which improved completely by 3–6 months. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> Gliosis was more common etiology requiring PQD in our series than Western series, where FCD was more common. PQD is a safe and effective surgical modality in childhood-onset epilepsy with posterior head region epileptogenic focus.

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 124-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Cossu ◽  
Sebastien Lebon ◽  
Margitta Seeck ◽  
Etienne Pralong ◽  
Mahmoud Messerer ◽  
...  

Refractory frontal lobe epilepsy has been traditionally treated through a frontal lobectomy. A disconnective technique may allow similar seizure outcomes while avoiding the complications associated with large brain resections. The aim of this study was to describe a new technique of selective disconnection of the frontal lobe that can be performed in cases of refractory epilepsy due to epileptogenic foci involving 1 frontal lobe (anterior to the motor cortex), with preservation of motor function. In addition to the description of the technique, an illustrative case is also presented.This disconnective procedure is divided into 4 steps: the suprainsular window, the anterior callosotomy, the intrafrontal disconnection, and the frontobasal disconnection. The functional neuroanatomy is analyzed in detail for each step of the surgery. It is important to perform cortical and subcortical electrophysiological mapping to guide this disconnective procedure and identify eloquent cortices and intact neural pathways.The authors describe the case of a 9-year-old boy who presented with refractory epilepsy due to epileptogenic foci localized to the right frontal lobe. MRI confirmed the presence of a focal cortical dysplasia of the right frontal lobe. A periinsular anterior quadrant disconnection (quadrantotomy) was performed. The postoperative period was uneventful, and the patient was in Engel seizure outcome Class I at the 3-year follow-up. A significant cognitive gain was observed during follow-up.Periinsular anterior quadrantotomy may thus represent a safe technique to efficiently treat refractory epilepsy when epileptogenic foci are localized to 1 frontal lobe while preserving residual motor functions.


2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 660-670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad R. Mohamed ◽  
Jeremy L. Freeman ◽  
Wirginia Maixner ◽  
Catherine A. Bailey ◽  
Jacquie A. Wrennall ◽  
...  

Object Temporoparietooccipital (TPO) disconnection is described mainly in children with diffuse posterior quadrant lesions and concordant electroencephalography (EEG) findings. The authors report on 16 children who underwent TPO surgery, including 4 with no definite epileptogenic lesion and 8 with generalized electroclinical manifestations. Methods The authors conducted a retrospective review of clinical, neuropsychological, EEG, imaging, and histopathological data in 16 children with intractable epilepsy who underwent TPO disconnection and/or resection at their center between December 1998 and March 2010. Results Seizure onset occurred between the ages of 1 and 24 months, and TPO surgery was performed between the ages of 0.2 and 17 years. All children had refractory seizures, including epileptic spasms in 10 and tonic seizures in 7, and all had developmental delay. Twelve children had epileptogenic lesions on MR imaging, including 6 with posterior quadrant dysplasia. Four children had only subtle white matter signal change or unusual sulcation on MR imaging, associated with subtle but concordant EEG and functional imaging abnormalities. After a mean follow-up of 52 months (range 12–114 months), 9 children (56%) are seizure-free and 5 (31%) experienced seizure reduction of greater than 50%. Focal or regional background slowing on EEG was correlated with favorable seizure outcome. Five children showed developmental progress and 3 had acceleration in development following surgery. None of the children developed new motor deficits postoperatively. Conclusions Temporoparietooccipital disconnection is an effective, motor-sparing epilepsy surgery procedure for selected children with refractory focal or generalized seizures with localization to the posterior quadrant on 1 side, with or without a discrete lesion on MR imaging.


2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 100-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodore H. Schwartz

Incomplete Resection of Focal Cortical Dysplasia Is the Main Predictor of Poor Postsurgical Outcome. Krsek P, Maton B, Jayakar P, Dean P, Korman B, Rey G, Dunoyer C, Pacheco-Jacome E, Morrison G, Ragheb J, Vinters HV, Resnick T, Duchowny M. Neurology 2009;72(3):217–223. BACKGROUND: Focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) is recognized as the major cause of focal intractable epilepsy in childhood. Various factors influencing postsurgical seizure outcome in pediatric patients with FCD have been reported. OBJECTIVE: To analyze different variables in relation to seizure outcome in order to identify prognostic factors for selection of pediatric patients with FCD for epilepsy surgery. METHODS: A cohort of 149 patients with histologically confirmed mild malformations of cortical development or FCD with at least 2 years of postoperative follow-up was retrospectively studied; 113 subjects had at least 5 years of postoperative follow-up. Twenty-eight clinical, EEG, MRI, neuropsychological, surgical, and histopathologic parameters were evaluated. RESULTS: The only significant predictor of surgical success was completeness of surgical resection, defined as complete removal of the structural MRI lesion (if present) and the cortical region exhibiting prominent ictal and interictal abnormalities on intracranial EEG. Unfavorable surgical outcomes are mostly caused by overlap of dysplastic and eloquent cortical regions. There were nonsignificant trends toward better outcomes in patients with normal intelligence, after hemispherectomy and with FCD type II. Other factors such as age at seizure onset, duration of epilepsy, seizure frequency, associated pathologies including hippocampal sclerosis, extent of EEG and MRI abnormalities, as well as extent and localization of resections did not influence outcome. Twenty-five percent of patients changed Engel's class of seizure outcome after the second postoperative year. CONCLUSIONS: The ability to define and fully excise the entire region of dysplastic cortex is the most powerful variable influencing outcome in pediatric patients with focal cortical dysplasia. FDG-PET/MRI Coregistration Improves Detection of Cortical Dysplasia in Patients with Epilepsy. Salamon N, Kung J, Shaw SJ, Koo J, Koh S, Wu JY, Lerner JT, Sankar R, Shields WD, Engel J Jr, Fried I, Miyata H, Yong WH, Vinters HV, Mathern GW. Neurology 2008;71(20):1594–1601. OBJECTIVE: Patients with cortical dysplasia (CD) are difficult to treat because the MRI abnormality may be undetectable. This study determined whether fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET/MRI coregistration enhanced the recognition of CD in epilepsy surgery patients. METHODS: Patients from 2004–2007 in whom FDG-PET/MRI coregistration was a component of the presurgical evaluation were compared with patients from 2000–2003 without this technique. For the 2004–2007 cohort, neuroimaging and clinical variables were compared between patients with mild Palmini type I and severe Palmini type II CD. RESULTS: Compared with the 2000–2003 cohort, from 2004–2007 more CD patients were detected, most had type I CD, and fewer cases required intracranial electrodes. From 2004–2007, 85% of type I CD cases had normal non–University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) MRI scans. UCLA MRI identified CD in 78% of patients, and 37% of type I CD cases had normal UCLA scans. EEG and neuroimaging findings were concordant in 52% of type I CD patients, compared with 89% of type II CD patients. FDG-PET scans were positive in 71% of CD cases, and type I CD patients had less hypometabolism compared with type II CD patients. Postoperative seizure freedom occurred in 82% of patients, without differences between type I and type II CD cases. CONCLUSIONS: Incorporating fluorodeoxyglucose-PET/MRI coregistration into the multimodality presurgical evaluation enhanced the noninvasive identification and successful surgical treatment of patients with cortical dysplasia (CD), especially for the 33% of patients with nonconcordant findings and those with normal MRI scans from mild type I CD.


Author(s):  
Elahe Marandi ◽  
Ajay Kumar ◽  
Ahmad Kaddurah ◽  
Harry Chugani

Background: Children with Down syndrome frequently develop infantile spasms (IS); however, variable seizure outcome has been reported and not much is known about the clinical-electrophysiological factors affecting these outcomes. Therefore, we evaluated the clinical, neuroimaging and electrophysiological data in our DS with IS patient cohort, with a relatively long follow-up duration, to address some of these issues.  Methods: Disease characteristics, diagnostic tests and treatment outcomes from 15 children (F: M=7:8) with IS and DS (follow-up duration: 10-197 months) were analyzed. Results: The median age at onset of spasms was 7 (2-16) months. EEG showed hypsarrhythmia in 10 infants, and patterns of diffusely disorganised background with multifocal independent spike-wave activity in the remaining five. Brain MRI (n=8) revealed no abnormality in 3, microcephaly in 2, delayed myelination in one, and minimal volume changes in 2. PET scans (n=5) showed diffuse glucose hypometabolism in 3, focal hypo- or hypermetabolism in 1 and 2 patients, respectively, and increased or decreased basal-ganglia metabolism in one each. Spasms disappeared in 8 patients (53.3%; six off medication), with girls (5/7; 71%) responding slightly better than boys (3/8; 37.5%). Seven of the 8 responders had shown hypsarrhythmia. Cessation of spasms was achieved by ACTH alone (n=1) or in combination with vigabatrin or zonisamide (n=1, each), and monotherapy with zonisamide (n=2), topiramate (n=1), prednisone (n=1), and ketogenic diet (n=1). Two patients showed evolution into complex partial seizure or Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. One child had dystonic cerebral palsy associated with perinatal asphyxia. Conclusions: Spasms developed relatively later in patients with IS and DS, compared to cryptogenic IS patients, and showed modest response to treatment. Girls appear to have a better treatment response, with presence of hypsarrhythmia may signal a better treatment outcome.


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.


2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 606-615 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroshi Hosoyama ◽  
Kazumi Matsuda ◽  
Tadahiro Mihara ◽  
Naotaka Usui ◽  
Koichi Baba ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVEThe aim of this study was to investigate the treatment outcomes and social engagement of patients who had undergone pediatric epilepsy surgery more than 10 years earlier.METHODSBetween 1983 and 2005, 110 patients younger than 16 years underwent epilepsy surgery at the National Epilepsy Center, Shizuoka Institute of Epilepsy and Neurological Disorders. The authors sent a questionnaire to 103 patients who had undergone follow-up for more than 10 years after surgery; 85 patients (82.5%) responded. The survey contained 4 categories: seizure outcome, use of antiepileptic drugs, social participation, and general satisfaction with the surgical treatment (resection of the epileptic focus, including 4 hemispherectomies). The mean patient age at the time of surgery was 9.8 ± 4.2 (SD) years, and the mean duration of postoperative follow-up was 15.4 ± 5.0 years. Of the 85 patients, 79 (92.9%) presented with a lesional pathology, such as medial temporal sclerosis, developmental/neoplastic lesions, focal cortical dysplasia, and gliosis in a single lobe.RESULTSFor 65 of the 85 responders (76.5%), the outcome was recorded as Engel Class I (including 15 [93.8%] of 16 patients with medial temporal sclerosis, 20 [80.0%] of 25 with developmental/neoplastic lesions, and 27 [73.0%] of 37 with focal cortical dysplasia). Of these, 29 (44.6%) were not taking antiepileptic drugs at the time of our survey, 29 (44.6%) held full-time jobs, and 33 of 59 patients (55.9%) eligible to drive had a driver's license. Among 73 patients who reported their degree of satisfaction, 58 (79.5%) were very satisfied with the treatment outcome.CONCLUSIONSThe seizure outcome in patients who underwent resective surgery in childhood and underwent followup for more than 10 years was good. Of 85 respondents, 65 (76.5%) were classified in Engel Class I. The degree of social engagement was relatively high, and the satisfaction level with the treatment outcome was also high. From the perspective of seizure control and social adaptation, resective surgery yielded longitudinal benefits in children with intractable epilepsy, especially those with a lesional pathology in a single lobe.


Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 2225
Author(s):  
Xiaozhuan Wang ◽  
Dabiao Deng ◽  
Chengqian Zhou ◽  
Honglin Li ◽  
Xueqin Guan ◽  
...  

This study aims to explore the relationship between neuropathologic and the post-surgical prognosis of focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) typed-Ⅲ-related medically refractory epilepsy. A total of 266 patients with FCD typed-Ⅲ-related medically refractory epilepsy were retrospectively studied. Presurgical clinical data, type of surgery, and postsurgical seizure outcome were analyzed. The minimum post-surgical follow-up was 1 year. A total of 266 patients of FCD type Ⅲ were included in this study and the median follow-up time was 30 months (range, 12~48 months). Age at onset ranged from 1.0 years to 58.0 years, with a median age of 12.5 years. The number of patients under 12 years old was 133 (50%) in patients with FCD type Ⅲ. A history of febrile seizures was present in 42 (15.8%) cases. In the entire postoperative period, 179 (67.3%) patients were seizure-free. Factors with p < 0.15 in univariate analysis, such as age of onset of epilepsy (p = 0.145), duration of epilepsy (p = 0.004), febrile seizures (p = 0.150), being MRI-negative (p = 0.056), seizure type (p = 0.145) and incomplete resection, were included in multivariate analysis. Multivariate analyses revealed that MRI-negative findings of FCD (OR 0.34, 95% CI 0.45–0.81, p = 0.015) and incomplete resection (OR 0.12, 95% CI 0.05–0.29, p < 0.001) are independent predictors of unfavorable seizure outcomes. MRI-negative finding of FCD lesions and incomplete resection were the most important predictive factors for poor seizure outcome in patients with FCD type Ⅲ.


2019 ◽  
Vol 130 (6) ◽  
pp. 2071-2079
Author(s):  
Gopal K. Dash ◽  
Chaturbhuj Rathore ◽  
Malcolm K. Jeyaraj ◽  
Pandurang Wattamwar ◽  
Sankara P. Sarma ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVEThe authors studied the clinical characteristics and postoperative outcomes of drug-resistant epilepsy associated with focal gliosis.METHODSFrom their epilepsy surgery database, the authors selected the patients with drug-resistant epilepsy and MRI-defined focal gliosis who underwent focal resective surgery. All patients underwent standard presurgical evaluation. Intracranial electroencephalography (EEG) was performed in patients with discordant presurgical data, ill-defined lesions, and lesions close to eloquent regions. Completeness of resection was defined on the basis of extraoperative and intraoperative electrocorticography studies. Favorable postoperative outcome was defined as Engel class I outcome during the last 2 years of follow-up.RESULTSSixty-six patients fulfilled inclusion criteria. An initial precipitating injury was present in 38 (57.6%) patients, mainly in the form of perinatal injury (n = 10), trauma (n = 10), and meningoencephalitis (n = 8). Gliosis involved a single lobe in 38 (57.6%) patients and 2 adjacent lobes in 14 (21.2%) patients; the remaining 14 (21.2%) patients had multilobar gliosis. In patients with unilobar or bilobar gliosis, the posterior region of the head was involved in 34 (65%) patients and the frontal lobes in 12 (23%) patients. During a median follow-up of 4 years (range 2–9 years), 41 (62.1%) patients had favorable outcome. On multivariate analysis, the presence of a well-defined aura (p = 0.019), electrocorticographically defined completeness of resection (p = 0.024), and normal postoperative EEG findings at 1 year (p = 0.003) were predictive of favorable postoperative seizure outcome.CONCLUSIONSFocal gliosis is a common etiology for drug-resistant extratemporal epilepsy in developing countries and is most often located in the posterior region of the head. The majority of these patients have perinatal injuries or neurological infections as initial precipitating injuries. Patients with focal gliosis have good postoperative seizure outcomes after well-planned resective surgery.


2018 ◽  
Vol 89 (6) ◽  
pp. 603-610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Holtkamp ◽  
Dieter Janz ◽  
Andrea Kirschbaum ◽  
Alexander B Kowski ◽  
Bernd J Vorderwülbecke

ObjectivesDepending on patient age at onset, absence epilepsy is subdivided into childhood and juvenile forms. Absence seizures can occur several times per day (pyknoleptic course) or less frequently than daily (non-pyknoleptic course). Seizures typically terminate before adulthood, but a quarter of patients need ongoing treatment beyond adolescence. Little is known about their long-term seizure and psychosocial outcome.MethodsFiles of 135 outpatients with absence epilepsy (76 females; 123 had additional generalised tonic–clonic seizures) were retrospectively analysed after a median follow-up of 45.4 years (IQR: 31.9–56.2). Eighty-two subjects completed an additional interview. Patients were dichotomised according to age at epilepsy onset (childhood: n=82; juvenile: n=53) and course of absence seizures (pyknoleptic: n=80; non-pyknoleptic: n=55).ResultsAmong all patients, 53% achieved 5-year terminal seizure remission, 16% without antiepileptic medication. Median age at last seizure was lower in patients with childhood onset of absence epilepsy (37.7 years) versus juvenile onset (44.4 years; P≤0.01). However, rates and duration of terminal seizure remission were similar. Pyknoleptic versus non-pyknoleptic course of absence seizures made no difference for long-term seizure outcome. Multivariate analysis identified only higher age at investigation to be associated with terminal 5-year seizure remission. Regarding aspects of psychosocial outcome, there were no significant differences between the respective subgroups.ConclusionsThese data indicate that if absence epilepsy persists beyond adolescence, long-term seizure and psychosocial outcome do not differ between childhood and juvenile onset or between pyknoleptic and non-pyknoleptic course of absence epilepsy. However, higher patient age increases the chance of terminal seizure remission.


Neurosurgery ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Massimo Cossu ◽  
Piergiorgio d'Orio ◽  
Carmen Barba ◽  
Sofia Asioli ◽  
Francesco Cardinale ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND Hippocampal sclerosis (HS) may be associated with focal cortical dysplasia IIIa (FCD IIIa) in patients undergoing surgery for temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). OBJECTIVE To investigate whether the anatomo-electro-clinical profile and surgical outcome in patients with HS-related TLE are affected by coexisting FCD IIIa. METHODS A total of 220 patients, operated in 5 centers, with at least 24 mo follow-up (FU), were retrospectively studied. Preliminary univariate and subsequent multivariate analyses were performed to investigate possible associations between several potential presurgical, surgical, and postsurgical predictors and different variables (Engel's class I and Engel's class Ia, co-occurrence of FCD IIIa). RESULTS At last available postoperative control (FU: range 24-95 mo, median 47 mo), 182 (82.7%) patients were classified as Engel's class I and 142 (64.5%) as Engel's class Ia. At multivariate analysis, extension of neocortical resection and postoperative electroencephalogram were significantly associated with Engel's class I, whereas length of FU had a significant impact on class Ia in the whole cohort and in isolated HS (iHS) patients, but not in the FCD IIIa group. No differences emerged in the anatomo-electro-clinical profile and surgical results between patients with FCD IIIa and with iHS. CONCLUSION Coexistence of FCD IIIa did not confer a distinct anatomo-electro-clinical profile to patients with HS-related epilepsy. Postoperative seizure outcome was similar in FCD IIIa and iHS cases. These findings indicate limited clinical relevance of FCD IIIa in HS-related epilepsy and might be useful for refining future FCD classifications. Further studies are needed to clarify the correlation of class Ia outcome with the duration of FU.


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