scholarly journals A Quantitative MRI Index for Assessing the Severity of Hippocampal Sclerosis in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wanchen Dou ◽  
Lei Zhao ◽  
Changbao Su ◽  
Qiang Lu ◽  
Qi Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Hippocampal sclerosis (HS) is associated with post-surgery outcome in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), and an automated method that quantifies HS severity is still lacking. Here, we aim to propose an MRI-based HS index (HSI) that integrates hippocampal volume and FLAIR signal to measure the severity of HS.Methods Forty-two pre-surgery TLE patients were included retrospectively, with T1-weighted (T1W) and FLAIR images acquired from each subject. Two experienced neurosurgeons (W.D. and C.S.) and one neurologist (Q.L.) rated HS severity, where both the hippocampal volume loss and increased FLAIR signal were considered to provide a four-class grading scale (normal, mild, moderate and severe). A consensus of HS severity for each subject was made by voting among the three visual rating results. Regarding the automatic quantification, the hippocampal volume was quantified by AccuBrain on T1W image, and the FLAIR signal of hippocampus was calculated as the mean intensity of hippocampal region on the FLAIR image (normalized by the mean intensity of gray matter). To fit the HSI from visual rating, we applied ordinal regression with the voted visual rating as the dependent variable, and hippocampal volume and FLAIR signal as the independent variables. The HSI was calculated by weighting the predictive probabilities of the four-class grading scales from ordinal regression.Results The intra-class correlation coefficient (single measure) of the three raters was 0.806. The generated HSI was significantly correlated with the visual rating scales (W.D.: 0.823, Q.L.: 0.817, C.S.: 0.717). HSI scores differentiated well between each pair of groups defined by the agreed HS visual rating (normal vs. mild: p<0.001, mild vs. moderate: p<0.001, moderate vs. severe: p=0.001).Conclusions The proposed HSI was consistent with visual rating scales from neurosurgeons and sensitive to HS severity. This MRI-based index may help to evaluate HS severity in clinical practice. Further validations are needed to associate HSI with post-surgery outcomes.

Author(s):  
Govind Mangal ◽  
Uday Bhaumik ◽  
Giriraj Prajapati ◽  
Poojan Thakor

Background: Our aim was to follow up patients postoperatively to identify seizure remission and relapse after surgery, to enable individuals considering surgery to make informed choices. Methods: Ninteen consecutive patients operated for drug resistant Temporal lobe & extra temporal lobe epilepsy between 2019 and 2020, at our centre. All the patients had at least one year post surgery follow-up. Results: The mean age of study population was 20.87 ± 10.08 years. The mean age of onset of epilepsy in study population was 14.9 ± 8 years. There were no acute post operative seizures. The most common histpathological finding was hippocampal sclerosis in 15 patients. The patients were followed up and 15 were in the class 1 of engel classification. 2 in class 2, rest had one each Conclusion: Following surgery approx half of patients were seizure free and Engel's favourable outcome was noted. The predictors of unfavourable outcome were younger age of onset and pronged duration and of epilepsy Keywords: Temporal lobe epilepsy, temporal lobectomy, amygdalohippocampectomy, outcome, extra temporal lobe epilepsy, extra temporal lobectomy


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 3860
Author(s):  
Elisa Ren ◽  
Giulia Curia

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is one of the most common types of focal epilepsy, characterized by recurrent spontaneous seizures originating in the temporal lobe(s), with mesial TLE (mTLE) as the worst form of TLE, often associated with hippocampal sclerosis. Abnormal epileptiform discharges are the result, among others, of altered cell-to-cell communication in both chemical and electrical transmissions. Current knowledge about the neurobiology of TLE in human patients emerges from pathological studies of biopsy specimens isolated from the epileptogenic zone or, in a few more recent investigations, from living subjects using positron emission tomography (PET). To overcome limitations related to the use of human tissue, animal models are of great help as they allow the selection of homogeneous samples still presenting a more various scenario of the epileptic syndrome, the presence of a comparable control group, and the availability of a greater amount of tissue for in vitro/ex vivo investigations. This review provides an overview of the structural and functional alterations of synaptic connections in the brain of TLE/mTLE patients and animal models.


Trials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-He Wang ◽  
Si-Chang Chen ◽  
Peng-Hu Wei ◽  
Kun Yang ◽  
Xiao-Tong Fan ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction In this report, we aim to describe the design for the randomised controlled trial of Stereotactic electroencephalogram (EEG)-guided Radiofrequency Thermocoagulation versus Anterior Temporal Lobectomy for Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy with Hippocampal Sclerosis (STARTS). Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) is a classical subtype of temporal lobe epilepsy that often requires surgical intervention. Although anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL) remains the most popular treatment for mTLE, accumulating evidence has indicated that ATL can cause tetartanopia and memory impairments. Stereotactic EEG (SEEG)-guided radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RF-TC) is a non-invasive alternative associated with lower seizure freedom but greater preservation of neurological function. In the present study, we aim to compare the safety and efficacy of SEEG-guided RF-TC and classical ATL in the treatment of mTLE. Methods and analysis STARTS is a single-centre, two-arm, randomised controlled, parallel-group clinical trial. The study includes patients with typical mTLE over the age of 14 who have drug-resistant seizures for at least 2 years and have been determined via detailed evaluation to be surgical candidates prior to randomisation. The primary outcome measure is the cognitive function at the 1-year follow-up after treatment. Seizure outcomes, visual field abnormalities after surgery, quality of life, ancillary outcomes, and adverse events will also be evaluated at 1-year follow-up as secondary outcomes. Discussion SEEG-guided RF-TC for mTLE remains a controversial seizure outcome but has the advantage for cognitive and visual field protection. This is the first RCT studying cognitive outcomes and treatment results between SEEG-guided RF-TC and standard ATL for mTLE with hippocampal sclerosis. This study may provide higher levels of clinical evidence for the treatment of mTLE. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03941613. Registered on May 8, 2019. The STARTS protocol has been registered on the US National Institutes of Health. The status of the STARTS was recruiting and the estimated study completion date was December 31, 2021.


Author(s):  
Nathália Stela Visoná de Figueiredo ◽  
Larissa Botelho Gaça ◽  
Idaiane Batista Assunção-Leme ◽  
Lenon Mazetto ◽  
Maria Teresa Fernandes Castilho Garcia ◽  
...  

Seizure ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 48 ◽  
pp. 74-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Casciato ◽  
Angelo Picardi ◽  
Alfredo D’Aniello ◽  
Marco De Risi ◽  
Giovanni Grillea ◽  
...  

2009 ◽  
Vol 111 (6) ◽  
pp. 1237-1247 ◽  
Author(s):  
László Seress ◽  
Hajnalka Ábrahám ◽  
Zsolt Horváth ◽  
Tamás Dóczi ◽  
József Janszky ◽  
...  

Object Hippocampal sclerosis can be identified in most patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Surgical removal of the sclerotic hippocampus is widely performed to treat patients with drug-resistant mesial TLE. In general, both epilepsy-prone and epilepsy-resistant neurons are believed to be in the hippocampal formation. The hilar mossy cells of the hippocampal dentate gyrus are usually considered one of the most vulnerable types of neurons. The aim of this study was to clarify the fate of mossy cells in the hippocampus in epileptic humans. Methods Of the 19 patients included in this study, 15 underwent temporal lobe resection because of drug-resistant TLE. Four patients were used as controls because they harbored tumors that had not invaded the hippocampus and they had experienced no seizures. Histological evaluation of resected hippocampal tissues was performed using immunohistochemistry. Results Mossy cells were identified in the control as well as the epileptic hippocampi by using cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript peptide immunohistochemistry. In most cases the number of mossy cells was reduced and thorny excrescences were smaller in the epileptic hippocampi than in controls; however, there was a significant loss of pyramidal cells and a partial loss of granule cells in the same epileptic hippocampi in which mossy cell loss was apparent. The loss of mossy cells could be correlated with the extent of hippocampal sclerosis, patient age at seizure onset, duration of epilepsy, and frequency of seizures. Conclusions In many cases large numbers of mossy cells were present in the hilus of the dentate gyrus when most pyramidal neurons of the CA1 and CA3 areas of the Ammon's horn were lost, suggesting that mossy cells may not be more vulnerable to epileptic seizures than the hippocampal pyramidal neurons.


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