Chronic unlimited recording electrocorticography–guided resective epilepsy surgery: technology-enabled enhanced fidelity in seizure focus localization with improved surgical efficacy

2014 ◽  
Vol 120 (6) ◽  
pp. 1402-1414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J. DiLorenzo ◽  
Erwin Z. Mangubat ◽  
Marvin A. Rossi ◽  
Richard W. Byrne

Object Epilepsy surgery is at the cusp of a transformation due to the convergence of advancements in multiple technologies. Emerging neuromodulatory therapies offer the promise of functionally correcting neural instability and obviating the need for resective or ablative surgery in select cases. Chronic implanted neurological monitoring technology, delivered as part of a neuromodulatory therapeutic device or as a stand-alone monitoring system, offers the potential to monitor patients chronically in their normal ambulatory setting with outpatient medication regimens. This overcomes significant temporal limitations, pharmacological perturbations, and infection risks inherent in the present technology comprising subacute percutaneous inpatient monitoring of presurgical candidates in an epilepsy monitoring unit. Methods As part of the pivotal study for the NeuroPace Responsive Neurostimulation (RNS) System, the authors assessed the efficacy of the RNS System to control seizures in a group of patients with medically refractory epilepsy. Prior to RNS System implantation, these patients were not candidates for further resective surgery because they had temporal lobe epilepsy with bilateral temporal sources, frontal lobe reflex epilepsy with involvement of primary motor cortex, and occipital lobe epilepsy with substantial involvement of eloquent visual cortex. Without interfering with and beyond the scope of the therapeutic aspect of the RNS System study, the authors were able to monitor seizure and epileptiform activity from chronically implanted subdural and depth electrodes in these patients, and, in doing so, they were able to more accurately localize the seizure source. In 5 of these study patients, in whom the RNS System was not effective, the notion of resective surgery was revisited and considered in light of the additional information gleaned from the chronic intracranial recordings obtained from various permutations of electrodes monitoring sources in the frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes. Results Through long-term analysis of chronic unlimited recording electrocorticography (CURE) from chronically implanted electrodes, the authors were able to further refine seizure source localization and sufficiently increase the expected likelihood of seizure control to the extent that 4 patients who had previously been considered not to be candidates for surgery did undergo resective surgery, and all have achieved seizure freedom. A fifth patient, who had a double-band heterotopia, underwent surgery but did not achieve significant seizure reduction. Conclusions Chronic unlimited recording electrocorticography–guided resective epilepsy surgery employs new monitoring technology in a novel way, which in this small series was felt to improve seizure localization and consequently the potential efficacy of resective surgery. This suggests that the CURE modality could improve outcomes in patients who undergo resective surgery, and it may expand the set of patients in whom resective surgery may be expected to be efficacious and therefore the potential number of patients who may achieve seizure freedom. The authors report 4 cases of patients in which this technique and technology had a direct role in guiding surgery that provided seizure freedom and that suggest this new approach warrants further study to characterize its value in presurgical evaluation. Clinical trial no.: NCT00572195 (ClinicalTrials.gov).

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 532-537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory W. Albert ◽  
George M. Ibrahim ◽  
Hiroshi Otsubo ◽  
Ayako Ochi ◽  
Cristina Y. Go ◽  
...  

Object Resective surgery is increasingly used in the management of pediatric epilepsy. Frequently, invasive monitoring with subdural electrodes is required to adequately map the epileptogenic focus. The risks of invasive monitoring include the need for 2 operations, infection, and CSF leak. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and outcomes of resective epilepsy surgery guided by magnetoencephalography (MEG) in children who would have otherwise been candidates for electrode implantation. Methods The authors reviewed the records of patients undergoing resective epilepsy surgery at the Hospital for Sick Children between 2001 and 2010. They identified cases in which resections were based on MEG data and no intracranial recordings were performed. Each patient's chart was reviewed for presentation, MRI findings, MEG findings, surgical procedure, pathology, and surgical outcome. Results Sixteen patients qualified for the study. All patients had localized spike clusters on MEG and most had abnormal findings on MRI. Resection was carried out in each case based on the MEG data linked to neuronavigation and supplemented with intraoperative neuromonitoring. Overall, 62.5% of patients were seizure free following surgery, and 20% of patients experienced an improvement in seizures without attaining seizure freedom. In 2 cases, additional surgery was performed subsequently with intracranial monitoring in attempts to obtain seizure control. Conclusions MEG is a viable alternative to invasive monitoring with intracranial electrodes for planning of resective surgery in carefully selected pediatric patients with localization-related epilepsy. Good candidates for this approach include patients who have a well-delineated, localized spike cluster on MEG that is concordant with findings of other preoperative evaluations and patients with prior brain pathologies that make the implantation of subdural and depth electrodes somewhat problematic.


Author(s):  
Janani Kassiri ◽  
Jeff Pugh ◽  
Sharon Carline ◽  
Laura Jurasek ◽  
Thomas Snyder ◽  
...  

Abstract:Background:The surgical removal of the epileptogenic zone in medically intractable seizures depends on accurate localization to minimize the neurological sequelae and prevent future seizures. To date, few studies have demonstrated the use of depth electrodes in a pediatric epilepsy population. Here, we report our study of pediatric epilepsy patients at our epilepsy center who were successfully operated for medically intractable seizures following the use of intracranial depth electrodes. In addition, we detail three individuals with distinct clinical scenarios in which depth electrodes were helpful and describe our technical approach to implantation and surgery.Methods:We retrospectively reviewed 18 pediatric epilepsy patients requiring depth electrode studies who presented at the University of Alberta Comprehensive Epilepsy Program between 1999 and 2010 with medically intractable epilepsy. Patients underwent cortical resection following depth electrode placement according to the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program surgical protocols after failure of surface electroencephalogram and magnetic resonance imaging to localize ictal onset zone.Result:The ictal onset zone was successfully identified in all 18 patients. Treatment of all surgical patients resulted in successful seizure freedom (Engel class I) without neurological complications.Conclusion:Intracranial depth electrode use is safe and able to provide sufficient information for the identification of the epileptogenic zone in pediatric epilepsy patients previously not considered for epilepsy surgery.


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.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nebras M Warsi ◽  
Karl Narvacan ◽  
Elizabeth Donner ◽  
Cristina Go ◽  
Samuel Strantzas ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND The practice of intraoperative electrocorticography (iECoG) to guide resective epilepsy surgery is variable. Limitations of iECoG include variability in recordings from previously unsampled cortex, increased operative time and cost, and a lack of clear benefit to surgical decision-making. OBJECTIVE To describe a simple technique to supplement extraoperative intracranial recordings with real-time iECoG using the same chronically implanted electrodes that overcome some of these limitations. METHODS We describe the technical procedure, intraoperative findings, and outcomes of 7 consecutive children undergoing 2-stage resective epilepsy surgery with invasive subdural grid monitoring between January 2017 and December 2019. All children underwent placement of subdural grids, strips, and depth electrodes. Planned neocortical resection was based on extraoperative mapping of ictal and interictal recordings. During resection in the second stage, the same electrodes were used to perform real-time iECoG. RESULTS Real-time iECoG using this technique leads to modification of resection for 2 of the 7 children. The first was extended due to an electroencephalographic seizure from a distant electrode not part of the original resection plan. The second was restricted due to attenuation of epileptiform activity following a partial resection, thereby limiting the extent of a Rolandic resection. No infections or other adverse events were encountered. CONCLUSION We report a simple technique to leverage chronically implanted electrodes for real-time iECoG during 2-stage resective surgery. This technique presents fewer limitations than traditional approaches and may alter intraoperative decision-making.


2020 ◽  
Vol 133 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony T. Lee ◽  
John F. Burke ◽  
Pranathi Chunduru ◽  
Annette M. Molinaro ◽  
Robert Knowlton ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVERecent trials for temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) highlight the challenges of investigating surgical outcomes using randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Although several reviews have examined seizure-freedom outcomes from existing data, there is a need for an overall seizure-freedom rate estimated from level I data as investigators consider other methods besides RCTs to study outcomes related to new surgical interventions.METHODSThe authors performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the 3 RCTs of TLE in adults and report an overall surgical seizure-freedom rate (Engel class I) composed of level I data. An overall seizure-freedom rate was also collected from level II data (prospective cohort studies) for validation. Eligible studies were identified by filtering a published Cochrane meta-analysis of epilepsy surgery for RCTs and prospective studies, and supplemented by searching indexed terms in MEDLINE (January 1, 2012–April 1, 2018). Retrospective studies were excluded to minimize heterogeneity in patient selection and reporting bias. Data extraction was independently reverified and pooled using a fixed-effects model. The primary outcome was overall seizure freedom following surgery. The historical benchmark was applied in a noninferiority study design to compare its power to a single-study cohort.RESULTSThe overall rate of seizure freedom from level I data was 72.4% (55/76 patients, 3 RCTs), which was nearly identical to the overall seizure-freedom rate of 71.7% (1325/1849 patients, 18 studies) from prospective cohorts (z = 0.134, p = 0.89; z-test). Seizure-freedom rates from level I and II studies were consistent over the years of publication (R2< 0.01, p = 0.73). Surgery resulted in markedly improved seizure-free outcomes compared to medical management (RR 10.82, 95% CI 3.93–29.84, p < 0.01; 2 RCTs). Noninferiority study designs in which the historical benchmark was used had significantly higher power at all difference margins compared to using a single cohort alone (p < 0.001, Bonferroni’s multiple comparison test).CONCLUSIONSThe overall rate of seizure freedom for temporal lobe surgery is approximately 70% for medically refractory epilepsy. The small sample size of the RCT cohort underscores the need to move beyond standard RCTs for epilepsy surgery. This historical seizure-freedom rate may serve as a useful benchmark to guide future study designs for new surgical treatments for refractory TLE.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauricio Mandel ◽  
Layton Lamsam ◽  
Pue Farooque ◽  
Dennis Spencer ◽  
Eyiyemisi Damisah

Abstract The insula is well established as an epileptogenic area.1 Insular epilepsy surgery demands precise anatomic knowledge2-4 and tailored removal of the epileptic zone with careful neuromonitoring.5 We present an operative video illustrating an intracranial electroencephalogram (EEG) depth electrode guided anterior insulectomy.  We report a 17-yr-old right-handed woman with a 4-yr history of medically refractory epilepsy. The patient reported daily nocturnal ictal vocalization preceded by an indescribable feeling. Preoperative evaluation was suggestive of a right frontal-temporal onset, but the noninvasive results were discordant. She underwent a combined intracranial EEG study with a frontal-parietal grid, with strips and depth electrodes covering the entire right hemisphere. Epileptiform activity was observed in contact 6 of the anterior insula electrode. The patient consented to the procedure and to the publication of her images.  A right anterior insulectomy was performed. First, a portion of the frontal operculum was resected and neuronavigation was used for the initial insula localization. However, due to unreliable neuronavigation (ie, brain shift), the medial and anterior borders of the insular resection were guided by the depth electrode reference. The patient was discharged 3 d after surgery with no neurological deficits and remains seizure free.  We demonstrate that depth electrode guided insular surgery is a safe and precise technique, leading to an optimal outcome.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 793
Author(s):  
Chiara Pepi ◽  
Luca de Palma ◽  
Marina Trivisano ◽  
Nicola Pietrafusa ◽  
Francesca Romana Lepri ◽  
...  

The rare nevus sebaceous (NS) syndrome (NSS) includes cortical malformations and drug-resistant epilepsy. Somatic RAS-pathway genetic variants are pathogenetic in NS, but not yet described within the brain of patients with NSS. We report on a 5-year-old boy with mild psychomotor delay. A brown-yellow linear skin lesion suggestive of NS in the left temporo-occipital area was evident at birth. Epileptic spasms presented at aged six months. EEG showed continuous left temporo-occipital epileptiform abnormalities. Brain MRI revealed a similarly located diffuse cortical malformation with temporal pole volume reduction and a small hippocampus. We performed a left temporo-occipital resection with histopathological diagnosis of focal cortical dysplasia type Ia in the occipital region and hippocampal sclerosis type 1. Three years after surgery, he is seizure-and drug-free (Engel class Ia) and showed cognitive improvement. Genetic examination of brain and skin specimens revealed the c.35G > T (p.Gly12Val) KRAS somatic missense mutation. Literature review suggests epilepsy surgery in patients with NSS is highly efficacious, with 73% probability of seizure freedom. The few histological analyses reported evidenced disorganized cortex, occasionally with cytomegalic neurons. This is the first reported association of a KRAS genetic variant with cortical malformations associated with epilepsy, and suggests a possible genetic substrate for hippocampal sclerosis.


2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 644-650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chima O. Oluigbo ◽  
Jichuan Wang ◽  
Matthew T. Whitehead ◽  
Suresh Magge ◽  
John S. Myseros ◽  
...  

OBJECT Focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) is one of the most common causes of intractable epilepsy leading to surgery in children. The predictors of seizure freedom after surgical management for FCD are still unclear. The objective of this study was to perform a volumetric analysis of factors shown on the preresection and postresection brain MRI scans of patients who had undergone resective epilepsy surgery for cortical dysplasia and to determine the influence of these factors on seizure outcome. METHODS The authors reviewed the medical records and brain images of 43 consecutive patients with focal MRI-documented abnormalities and a pathological diagnosis of FCD who had undergone surgical treatment for refractory epilepsy. Preoperative lesion volume and postoperative resection volume were calculated by manual segmentation using OsiriX PRO software. RESULTS Forty-three patients underwent first-time surgery for resection of an FCD. The age range of these patients at the time of surgery ranged from 2 months to 21.8 years (mean age 7.3 years). The median duration of follow-up was 20 months. The mean age at onset was 31.6 months (range 1 day to 168 months). Complete resection of the area of an FCD, as adjudged from the postoperative brain MR images, was significantly associated with seizure control (p = 0.0005). The odds of having good seizure control among those who underwent complete resection were about 6 times higher than those among the patients who did not undergo complete resection. Seizure control was not significantly associated with lesion volume (p = 0.46) or perilesion resection volume (p = 0.86). CONCLUSIONS The completeness of FCD resection in children is a significant predictor of seizure freedom. Neither lesion volume nor the further resection of perilesional tissue is predictive of seizure freedom.


Neurosurgery ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 89 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. S65-S65
Author(s):  
Reinaldo Uribe San Martin ◽  
Roberta Di Giacomo ◽  
Roberto Mai ◽  
Francesca Gozzo ◽  
Veronica Pelliccia ◽  
...  

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