scholarly journals Functional hemispherectomy: can preoperative imaging predict outcome?

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 567-573
Author(s):  
Alexander G. Weil ◽  
Aria Fallah ◽  
Shelly Wang ◽  
George M. Ibrahim ◽  
Lior M. Elkaim ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVEAlthough hemispherectomy is an effective treatment for children with intractable hemispheric epilepsy syndromes, as many as 40% of patients eventually develop seizure recurrence. The causes of seizure recurrence in these patients are incompletely understood. The authors sought to evaluate the efficacy of hemispherectomy at their center and determine whether contralateral MRI abnormalities can predict seizure recurrence.METHODSA retrospective review of consecutive hemispherectomies performed at Miami Children’s Hospital between January 2000 and June 2014 was performed. Time-to-event analysis was performed. The “event” was defined as any seizures following resective epilepsy surgery (not including seizures in the first postoperative week and auras). Several preoperative variables were analyzed to determine their suitability to predict seizure recurrence following surgery.RESULTSSixty-nine patients (44 boys) with a mean age of 8.2 ± 5.9 years (range 0.1–20.8 years) underwent 72 hemispherectomies; 67 of these were functional hemispherectomies, while another 5 were completion of a previous functional hemispherectomy (2 completions of functional hemispherectomies, 3 anatomical hemispherectomies). The duration of epilepsy was 5.8 ± 5.5 years with 66 cases (91.7%) having daily seizures. Etiology included stroke (n = 28), malformation of cortical development (n = 11), hemimegalencephaly (n = 11), encephalitis (n = 13), and other (n = 7). Engel class I outcome was achieved in 59 (86%) and 56 (81%) patients at 1 and 2 years of follow-up, respectively. The mean time to seizure recurrence was 33.5 ± 31.1 months. In univariate analyses, the absence of contralateral abnormalities on MRI (HR 4.09, 95% CI 1.41–11.89, p = 0.009) was associated with a longer duration of seizure freedom. The presence of contralateral MRI abnormalities was associated with contralateral ictal seizures on preoperative scalp EEG (p = 0.002). Fifteen patients experienced 20 complications (20/72, 27.8%), including the development of hydrocephalus necessitating CSF diversion in 9 cases (13%), hygroma in 1, hemispheric edema in 1, aseptic meningitis in 2, postoperative hemorrhage in 2, infection in 2, ischemic stroke in 2, and blood transfusion–contracted hepatitis C in 1 case.CONCLUSIONSPatients with bihemispheric abnormalities, as evidenced by contralateral MRI abnormalities, have a higher risk of earlier seizure recurrence following functional hemispherectomy.

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shasha Wu ◽  
Naoum P. Issa ◽  
Maureen Lacy ◽  
David Satzer ◽  
Sandra L. Rose ◽  
...  

Objective: To assess the seizure outcomes of stereotactic laser amygdalohippocampectomy (SLAH) in consecutive patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) in a single center and identify scalp EEG and imaging factors in the presurgical evaluation that correlate with post-surgical seizure recurrence.Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical and EEG records of 30 patients with drug-resistant mTLE who underwent SLAH and had at least 1 year of follow-up. Surgical outcomes were classified using the Engel scale. Univariate hazard ratios were used to evaluate the risk factors associated with seizure recurrence after SLAH.Results: The overall Engel class I outcome after SLAH was 13/30 (43%), with a mean postoperative follow-up of 48.9 ± 17.6 months. Scalp EEG findings of interictal regional slow activity (IRSA) on the side of surgery (HR = 4.05, p = 0.005) and non-lateralizing or contra-lateralizing seizure onset (HR = 4.31, p = 0.006) were negatively correlated with postsurgical seizure freedom. Scalp EEG with either one of the above features strongly predicted seizure recurrence after surgery (HR = 7.13, p < 0.001) with 100% sensitivity and 71% specificity.Significance: Understanding the factors associated with good or poor surgical outcomes can help choose the best candidates for SLAH. Of the variables assessed, scalp EEG findings were the most clearly associated with seizure outcomes after SLAH.


Author(s):  
Takehiro Uda ◽  
Ichiro Kuki ◽  
Takeshi Inoue ◽  
Noritsugu Kunihiro ◽  
Hiroharu Suzuki ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVEEpileptic spasms (ESs) are classified as focal, generalized, or unknown onset ESs. The classification of ESs and surgery in patients without lesions apparent on MRI is challenging. Total corpus callosotomy (TCC) is a surgical option for diagnosis of the lateralization and possible treatment for ESs. This study investigated phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) of fast activity modulated by slow waves on scalp electroencephalography (EEG) to evaluate the strength of the modulation index (MI) before and after disconnection surgery in children with intractable nonlesional ESs. The authors hypothesize that a decreased MI due to surgery correlates with good seizure outcomes.METHODSThe authors studied 10 children with ESs without lesions on MRI who underwent disconnection surgeries. Scalp EEG was obtained before and after surgery. The authors collected 20 epochs of 3 minutes each during non–rapid eye movement sleep. The MI of the gamma (30–70 Hz) amplitude and delta (0.5–4 Hz) phase was obtained in each electrode. MIs for each electrode were averaged in 4 brain areas (left/right, anterior/posterior quadrants) and evaluated to determine the correlation with seizure outcomes.RESULTSThe median age at first surgery was 2.3 years (range 10 months–9.1 years). Two patients with focal onset ESs underwent anterior quadrant disconnection (AQD). TCC alone was performed in 5 patients with generalized or unknown onset ESs. Two patients achieved seizure freedom. Three patients had residual generalized onset ESs. Disconnection surgeries in addition to TCC consisted of TCC + posterior quadrant disconnection (PQD) (1 patient); TCC + AQD + PQD (1 patient); and TCC + AQD + hemispherotomy (1 patient). Seven patients became seizure free with a mean follow-up period of 28 months (range 5–54 months). After TCC, MIs in 4 quadrants were significantly lower in the 2 seizure-free patients than in the 6 patients with residual ESs (p < 0.001). After all 15 disconnection surgeries in 10 patients, MIs in the 13 target quadrants for each disconnection surgery that resulted in freedom from seizures were significantly lower than in the 26 target quadrants in patients with residual ESs (p < 0.001).CONCLUSIONSIn children with nonlesional ESs, PAC for scalp EEG before and after disconnection surgery may be a surrogate marker for control of ESs. The MI may indicate epileptogenic neuronal modulation of the interhemispheric corpus callosum and intrahemispheric subcortical network for ESs. TCC may be a therapeutic option to disconnect the interhemispheric modulation of epileptic networks.


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. 1-9
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.


2021 ◽  
pp. jmedgenet-2020-107449
Author(s):  
Stephanie Boets ◽  
Katrine M Johannesen ◽  
Anne Destree ◽  
Filippo Manti ◽  
Georgia Ramantani ◽  
...  

BackgroundPathogenic KCNQ2 variants are a frequent cause of developmental and epileptic encephalopathy.MethodsWe recruited 13 adults (between 18 years and 45 years of age) with KCNQ2 encephalopathy and reviewed their clinical, EEG, neuroimaging and treatment history.ResultsWhile most patients had daily seizures at seizure onset, seizure frequency declined or remitted during childhood and adulthood. The most common seizure type was tonic seizures (early) infancy, and tonic-clonic and focal impaired awareness seizures later in life. Ten individuals (77%) were seizure-free at last follow-up. In 38% of the individuals, earlier periods of seizure freedom lasting a minimum of 2 years followed by seizure recurrence had occurred. Of the 10 seizure-free patients, 4 were receiving a single antiseizure medication (ASM, carbamazepine, lamotrigine or levetiracetam), and 2 had stopped taking ASM. Intellectual disability (ID) ranged from mild to profound, with the majority (54%) of individuals in the severe category. At last contact, six individuals (46%) remained unable to walk independently, six (46%) had limb spasticity and four (31%) tetraparesis/tetraplegia. Six (46%) remained non-verbal, 10 (77%) had autistic features/autism, 4 (31%) exhibited aggressive behaviour and 4 (31%) destructive behaviour with self-injury. Four patients had visual problems, thought to be related to prematurity in one. Sleep problems were seen in six (46%) individuals.ConclusionSeizure frequency declines over the years and most patients are seizure-free in adulthood. Longer seizure-free periods followed by seizure recurrence are common during childhood and adolescence. Most adult patients have severe ID. Motor, language and behavioural problems are an issue of continuous concern.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 389-397
Author(s):  
Nikhil Bellamkonda ◽  
H. Westley Phillips ◽  
Jia-Shu Chen ◽  
Alexander M. Tucker ◽  
Cassia Maniquis ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVERasmussen encephalitis (RE) is a rare inflammatory neurological disorder typically involving one hemisphere and resulting in drug-resistant epilepsy and progressive neurological decline. Here, the authors present seizure outcomes in children who underwent epilepsy surgery for RE at a single institution.METHODSThe records of consecutive patients who had undergone epilepsy surgery for RE at the UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital between 1982 and 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Basic demographic information, seizure history, procedural notes, and postoperative seizure and functional outcome data were analyzed.RESULTSThe cohort included 44 patients, 41 of whom had sufficient data for analysis. Seizure freedom was achieved in 68%, 48%, and 22% of the patients at 1, 5, and 10 years, respectively. The median time to the first seizure for those who experienced seizure recurrence after surgery was 39 weeks (IQR 11–355 weeks). Anatomical hemispherectomy, as compared to functional hemispherectomy, was independently associated with a longer time to postoperative seizure recurrence (HR 0.078, p = 0.03). There was no statistically significant difference in postoperative seizure recurrence between patients with complete hemispherectomy and those who had less-than-hemispheric surgery. Following surgery, 68% of the patients could ambulate and 84% could speak regardless of operative intervention.CONCLUSIONSA large proportion of RE patients will have seizure relapse after surgery, though patients with anatomical hemispherectomies may have a longer time to postoperative seizure recurrence. Overall, the long-term data in this study suggest that hemispheric surgery can be seen as palliative treatment for seizures rather than a cure for RE.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Xue ◽  
Cuiping Xu ◽  
Xiaoxia Zhou ◽  
Duanyu Ni ◽  
Xueyuan Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Surgical treatment for patients with adult-onset Rasmussen’s encephalitis (A-RE) is rarely reported. We investigated the clinical and surgical features of two patients with A-RE who underwent functional hemispherectomy. Case presentation The data of clinical manifestations, neuroimaging, surgical treatment and surgical outcomes of two patients with A-RE was reviewed. The two patients initially presented with recurrent partial seizures or secondly generalized tonic clonic seizures. Gradually, the patients showed unilateral limb paralysis as well as chronic focal epileptic status. Both patients underwent functional hemispherectomy and achieved seizure freedom in the follow-up. The contralateral neurological deficits improved gradually after rehabilitation and were acceptable for the self-care of daily living. The living quality improved prominently after surgery. Conclusions Despite the risk of hemiplegia, functional hemispherectomy may be a choice for patients with A-RE for favorable seizure control and improved quality of life in selected patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 175628642110500
Author(s):  
Wei Chen ◽  
Bo Jin ◽  
Thandar Aung ◽  
Chenmin He ◽  
Cong Chen ◽  
...  

Background: Malformation of cortical development (MCD) is one of the most common causes of pharmacoresistant epilepsy. Improving the knowledge of antiseizure medications (ASMs) treatment response in epileptic patients with MCD is crucial for optimal treatment options, either pharmacological therapy or non-pharmacological intervention. Aim: To investigate the patterns of medical treatment outcome and the predictors for seizure freedom (SF) with ASM regimens in epilepsy caused by MCD. Methods: The epileptic patients with MCD were consecutively enrolled from March 2013 to June 2019. SF was defined as no seizures for at least 12 months or three times the longest pretreatment inter-seizure interval, whichever was longer. Outcomes were classified into three patterns: pattern A: patients achieved SF at one point and remained so throughout follow-up; pattern B: patients’ seizures fluctuated between periods of SF and relapse; pattern C: SF never attained. The terminal SF was defined if the patients remained SF at the last follow-up visit. Results: A total of 164 epileptic patients with MCD were included. Pattern A was observed in 22, pattern B in 42, and pattern C in 100 patients. SF was ever achieved in 64 (pattern A and B) patients. Twenty-nine patients had terminal SF after a median follow-up time of 4.3 years. With continuing ASM treatment, seizure relapse risk was very low after a 5-year seizure-free period. The pretreatment seizure frequency was the only independent predictor for pattern A and seizure relapse. Sodium channel blockers monotherapy (33.8%) was more effective than levetiracetam (4.5%) in rendering SF in the initial ASM regimen. Conclusion: Medical treatment can be successful in a minority of epileptic patients with MCD, and pretreatment seizure frequency helps to predict the treatment outcome. An unequal efficacy of ASMs in epilepsy caused by MCD suggests etiological evaluation is vital in the management of focal epilepsy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 395-403
Author(s):  
Masaki Iwasaki ◽  
Keiya Iijima ◽  
Takahiro Kawashima ◽  
Hisateru Tachimori ◽  
Yutaro Takayama ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVE Pediatric epilepsy surgery is known to be effective, but early surgery in infancy is not well characterized. Extensive cortical dysplasia, such as hemimegalencephaly, can cause refractory epilepsy shortly after birth, and early surgical intervention is indicated. However, the complication rate of early pediatric surgery is significant. In this study, the authors assessed the risk-benefit balance of early pediatric epilepsy surgery as relates to developmental outcomes. METHODS This is a retrospective descriptive study of 75 patients who underwent their first curative epilepsy surgery at an age under 3 years at the authors’ institution between 2006 and 2019 and had a minimum 1-year follow-up of seizure and developmental outcomes. Clinical information including surgical complications, seizure outcomes, and developmental quotient (DQ) was collected from medical records. The effects of clinical factors on DQ at 1 year after surgery were evaluated. RESULTS The median age at surgery was 6 months, peaking at between 3 and 4 months. Operative procedures included 27 cases of hemispherotomy, 19 cases of multilobar surgery, and 29 cases of unilobar surgery. Seizure freedom was achieved in 82.7% of patients at 1 year and in 71.0% of patients at a mean follow-up of 62.8 months. The number of antiseizure medications (ASMs) decreased significantly after surgery, and 19 patients (30.6%) had discontinued their ASMs by the last follow-up. Postoperative complications requiring cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diversion surgery, such as hydrocephalus and cyst formation, were observed in 13 patients (17.3%). The mean DQ values were 74.2 ± 34.3 preoperatively, 60.3 ± 23.3 at 1 year after surgery, and 53.4 ± 25.1 at the last follow-up. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the 1-year postoperative DQ was significantly influenced by preoperative DQ and postoperative seizure freedom but not by the occurrence of any surgical complication requiring CSF diversion surgery. CONCLUSIONS Early pediatric epilepsy surgery has an acceptable risk-benefit balance. Seizure control after surgery is important for postoperative development.


2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 200-208
Author(s):  
Ravindra Arya ◽  
Francesco T. Mangano ◽  
Paul S. Horn ◽  
Sabrina K. Kaul ◽  
Serena K. Kaul ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVEThere is emerging data that adults with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) without a discrete lesion on brain MRI have surgical outcomes comparable to those with hippocampal sclerosis (HS). However, pediatric TLE is different from its adult counterpart. In this study, the authors investigated if the presence of a potentially epileptogenic lesion on presurgical brain MRI influences the long-term seizure outcomes after pediatric temporal lobectomy.METHODSChildren who underwent temporal lobectomy between 2007 and 2015 and had at least 1 year of seizure outcomes data were identified. These were classified into lesional and MRI-negative groups based on whether an epilepsy-protocol brain MRI showed a lesion sufficiently specific to guide surgical decisions. These patients were also categorized into pure TLE and temporal plus epilepsies based on the neurophysiological localization of the seizure-onset zone. Seizure outcomes at each follow-up visit were incorporated into a repeated-measures generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) with MRI status as a grouping variable. Clinical variables were incorporated into GLMM as covariates.RESULTSOne hundred nine patients (44 females) were included, aged 5 to 21 years, and were classified as lesional (73%), MRI negative (27%), pure TLE (56%), and temporal plus (44%). After a mean follow-up of 3.2 years (range 1.2–8.8 years), 66% of the patients were seizure free for ≥ 1 year at last follow-up. GLMM analysis revealed that lesional patients were more likely to be seizure free over the long term compared to MRI-negative patients for the overall cohort (OR 2.58, p < 0.0001) and for temporal plus epilepsies (OR 1.85, p = 0.0052). The effect of MRI lesion was not significant for pure TLE (OR 2.64, p = 0.0635). Concordance of ictal electroencephalography (OR 3.46, p < 0.0001), magnetoencephalography (OR 4.26, p < 0.0001), and later age of seizure onset (OR 1.05, p = 0.0091) were associated with a higher likelihood of seizure freedom. The most common histological findings included cortical dysplasia types 1B and 2A, HS (40% with dual pathology), and tuberous sclerosis.CONCLUSIONSA lesion on presurgical brain MRI is an important determinant of long-term seizure freedom after pediatric temporal lobectomy. Pediatric TLE is heterogeneous regarding etiologies and organization of seizure-onset zones with many patients qualifying for temporal plus nosology. The presence of an MRI lesion determined seizure outcomes in patients with temporal plus epilepsies. However, pure TLE had comparable surgical seizure outcomes for lesional and MRI-negative groups.


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