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J Neurosurg Pediatr 2020 Jun 26:1-10. Epub 2020 Jun 26.

3Pediatric Neurosurgery, and.

Objective: Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common focal epilepsy across adult and pediatric age groups. It is also the most amenable to surgery, with excellent long-term seizure outcome. Most TLE cases have an epileptogenic zone in the mesial temporal structures, namely the hippocampus. Read More

Epilepsia 2020 Jun 26. Epub 2020 Jun 26.

CNNP lab (www.cnnp-lab.com), Interdisciplinary Complex Systems Group, School of Computing, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.

Objective: Predicting postoperative seizure freedom using functional correlation networks derived from interictal intracranial electroencephalography (EEG) has shown some success. However, there are important challenges to consider: (1) electrodes physically closer to each other naturally tend to be more correlated, causing a spatial bias; (2) implantation location and number of electrodes differ between patients, making cross-subject comparisons difficult; and (3) functional correlation networks can vary over time but are currently assumed to be static.

Methods: In this study, we address these three challenges using intracranial EEG data from 55 patients with intractable focal epilepsy. Read More

Front Hum Neurosci 2020 9;14:186. Epub 2020 Jun 9.

Beijing Neurosurgical Institute, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.

Background: High-frequency oscillation (HFO) represents a promising biomarker of epileptogenicity. However, the significant interindividual differences among patients limit its application in clinical practice. Here, we applied and evaluated an individualized, frequency-based approach of HFO analysis in stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) data for localizing the epileptogenic zones (EZs). Read More

Epilepsy Behav 2020 Jun 20;111:107213. Epub 2020 Jun 20.

Thoracic and Vascular Surgery Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran; Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. Electronic address:

Purpose: Based on the high rates of burn injuries in patients with epilepsy, it is crucial to evaluate the epidemiological factors, etiology, types of burns, and outcome of these certain individuals and to enhance knowledge about the possible risks of epilepsy-related burns by preventive actions and programs.

Method: Our retrospective study was carried out from September 2013 to February 2017 in Amir-al Momenin Hospital, a tertiary referral burns and plastic surgery healthcare center. Because of the fact that a number of patients with burns had experienced their trauma at the time of convulsion or in postconvulsion phase, it is necessary to evaluate the outcome, burn patterns, etiology of injury, and related epidemiological factors in order to develop a greater understanding of possible risks of epilepsy-related burns by preventive actions and programs. Read More

Childs Nerv Syst 2020 Jun 21. Epub 2020 Jun 21.

Neurochirurgia Infantile, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy.

Purpose: Sturge-Weber syndrome (SWS) is a neurocutaneous facomatosis characterized by facial and leptomeningeal angioma, glaucoma, seizures, and neurological disability. Therefore, a challenging multidisciplinary interaction is required for its management. The goal of this paper is to review the main aspects of SWS and to present an illustrative pediatric series. Read More

Epilepsy Behav 2020 Jun 15;111:107196. Epub 2020 Jun 15.

The Wales Epilepsy Unit, University Hospital Wales, Cardiff CF14 4XW, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, CF24 4HQ, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Objective: The objective of the study was to assess the long-term outcomes of epilepsy surgery between 1995 and 2015 in South Wales, UK, linking case note review, postal questionnaire, and routinely collected healthcare data.

Method: We identified patients from a departmental database and collected outcome data from patient case notes, a postal questionnaire, and the QOLIE-31-P and linked with Welsh routinely collected data in the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) databank.

Results: Fifty-seven patients were included. Read More

J Child Neurol 2020 Jun 16:883073820931255. Epub 2020 Jun 16.

Neuroethics Canada, Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Objective: To characterize the clinical research landscape of pediatric drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) with a focus on neurotechnology.

Method: We searched the ClinicalTrials.gov registry using the terms "epilepsy" and "drug resistant" for studies including participants age 0-17 years. Read More

Clin Neurophysiol 2020 Jun 3;131(8):1815-1823. Epub 2020 Jun 3.

Epilepsy Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy.

Objective: We evaluated four imaging techniques, i.e. Electroencephalography (EEG)-functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) (EEG-fMRI), High-resolution EEG (HR-EEG), Magnetoencephalography (MEG) and 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography (PET), for the identification of the epileptogenic zone (EZ) in 41 patients with negative MRI, candidate to neurosurgery. Read More

Turk Neurosurg 2019 Dec 12. Epub 2019 Dec 12.

First Affiliated Hospital of University of South China, Department of Neurosurgery, Hunan Province, China.

Aim: To compare neuroendoscopy versus minimal puncture drainage for surgical treatment of supratentorial hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage.

Material And Methods: A total of 108 cases involving supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage were retrospectively analyzed. In 30 cases, endoscopic surgery was performed, while 78 cases involved puncture surgery. Read More

Childs Nerv Syst 2020 Jun 11. Epub 2020 Jun 11.

Department of Surgery, Division of Neurosurgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.

Purpose: Atonic seizures are associated with a particularly poor response to medical treatment. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare the efficacy of corpus callosotomy (CC) and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) in the management of atonic seizures in the pediatric population.

Methods: A literature search was performed in compliance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and recommendations, focusing on atonic seizures, CC, and VNS in pediatric populations. Read More

Epilepsia Open 2020 Jun 27;5(2):285-294. Epub 2020 May 27.

Krembil Brain Institute Toronto ON Canada.

Objective: Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders . Many individuals continue to have seizures despite medical and surgical treatments, suggesting adjunctive management strategies are required. Promising effects of daily listening to Mozart on reducing seizure frequency in individuals with epilepsy have been demonstrated over the last 20 years, but not in a rigorously controlled manner. Read More

Epilepsia Open 2020 Jun 20;5(2):263-273. Epub 2020 May 20.

Biomedical Engineering University of California, Irvine Irvine CA USA.

Objective: High-frequency oscillations (HFOs) are a promising biomarker for the epileptogenic zone. However, no physiological definition of an HFO has been established, so detection relies on the empirical definition of an HFO derived from visual observation. This can bias estimates of HFO features such as amplitude and duration, thereby hindering their utility as biomarkers. Read More

Epilepsia Open 2020 Jun 2;5(2):190-197. Epub 2020 Mar 2.

Division of Neurosurgery Department of Surgery University of Toronto Toronto ON Canada.

Objective: The global burden of pediatric epilepsy is disproportionately concentrated in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, little is known about the effectiveness of current treatment programs in this setting. We present the outcomes of children who were assessed and treated at the Clinique D'Épilepsie de Port-au-Prince (CLIDEP), the only pediatric epilepsy referral center in Haiti. Read More

Epilepsy Behav Rep 2020 27;14:100366. Epub 2020 Apr 27.

Division of Functional Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Anterior temporal lobectomy and amygdalohippocampectomy (ATL) is the gold standard surgical treatment for drug resistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE). Nevertheless, seizure recurrence after ATL is not uncommon. Insufficient resection of the mesial temporal structures remains one of the most common reasons for ATL failure. Read More

J Epilepsy Res 2019 Dec 31;9(2):126-133. Epub 2019 Dec 31.

Department of Neurosurgery, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.

Background And Purpose: Although some surgeons utilize interictal spikes recorded via electrocorticography (ECoG) when planning extensive peritumoral resection in patients with tumor-related epilepsy, the association between interictal spikes and epileptogenesis has not been fully described. We investigated whether the resection of interictal spikes recorded by ECoG is associated with more favorable surgical outcomes in tumor-related epilepsy.

Methods: Of 132 patients who underwent epilepsy surgery for tumor-related epilepsy from 2006 to 2013, seven patients who underwent extraoperative ECoG were included in this study. Read More

J Epilepsy Res 2019 Dec 31;9(2):111-118. Epub 2019 Dec 31.

Department of Neurology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Background And Purpose: We attempted to evaluate the surgical prognostic value of various types of aura in conjunction with the results of other presurgical evaluations in patients with an intracranial ictal onset zone confirmed by invasive studies and focal resection. We also attempted to determine how often the habitual auras could be elicited and to demonstrate the prognostic value of these stimulation-induced auras (SIAs).

Methods: We reviewed retrospectively the records of patients who had undergone intracranial electroencephalography evaluation and focal resective surgery for intractable partial epilepsy between 1995 and 2009. Read More

J Epilepsy Res 2019 Dec 31;9(2):87-92. Epub 2019 Dec 31.

Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Epilepsy Clinic, Severance Children's Hospital, Epilepsy Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Surgery has been and is now a well-established treatment indicated for adults and children with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). The surgical landscape for children with DRE appears to be expanding, and surgical cases of pediatric epilepsy have increased significantly in the past decade, contrary to adult epilepsy. Several fundamental changes have led to the widespread surgical treatment for DRE in children, based on a risk-benefit analysis of pediatric epilepsy surgery, and a change in our overall approach to evaluation. Read More

Clin Neurophysiol 2020 May 11;131(8):1702-1710. Epub 2020 May 11.

Epilepsy Center, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA.

Objective: Postencephalitic epilepsy is often resistant to antiseizure medications, leading to evaluation for epilepsy surgery. Characterizing its localization carries implications for optimal surgical approach. We aimed to determine whether a prior history of encephalitis is associated with specific epileptogenic networks among patients with drug resistant epilepsy undergoing stereotactic EEG (SEEG). Read More

J Pediatr Orthop 2020 Jul;40(6):e522-e526

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE.

Background: Insertion of an intrathecal baclofen (ITB) pump can provide significant benefits in patients with cerebral palsy (CP). However, there are little data describing the risk of complications. Specifically, there is a lack of data describing the incidence of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage and risk factors following ITB placement. Read More

Neurosurg Clin N Am 2020 Jul 25;31(3):421-433. Epub 2020 Apr 25.

Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, 429A Thier, Boston, MA 02114, USA. Electronic address:

The intracranial electroencephalogram (iEEG) is essential in decision making for epilepsy surgery. Although localization of epileptogenic brain regions by means of iEEG has been the gold standard for surgical decision-making for more than 70 years, established guidelines for what constitutes genuine iEEG epileptic activity and what is normal brain activity are not available. This review provides a summary of the current state of knowledge and understanding on normal iEEG entities and variants, the effects of sleep on regional and lobar iEEG, iEEG patterns of interictal and ictal epileptic activity and their relation to well-described epileptogenic pathologies and surgical outcome. Read More

Neurosurg Clin N Am 2020 Jul;31(3):301-308

Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, 4401 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA. Electronic address:

We provide a history and overview of the network approach to epilepsy surgery. Models of the epileptogenic zone (EZ) have evolved considerably over the years with more recent models accounting for the connectivity and network properties of epileptic foci. Next, we describe several examples of network phenotypes of focal epilepsy and how these have the potential to influence surgical decision-making and patient outcome. Read More

Seizure 2020 Jul 11;79:112-119. Epub 2020 May 11.

Department of Neurosurgery, Ruppiner Kliniken, Brandenburg Medical School, Neuruppin, Germany; Medical Faculty, University of Bonn Medical Center, Bonn, Germany.

Introduction: Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) surgery is still underutilized, especially in the elderly population because of concerns related to postoperative complication rate and cognitive deterioration. The aim of the study was to evaluate surgical data, quality of life and neuropsychological outcome in elderly patients, who underwent resective surgery for drug resistant TLE.

Methods And Materials: All patients underwent standardized presurgical assessment including clinical, neuroradiological, neuropsychological, and EEG examination. Read More

Epilepsia 2020 Jun 26;61(6):1221-1233. Epub 2020 May 26.

Multimodal Imaging and Connectome Analysis Laboratory, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Objective: Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common drug-resistant epilepsy in adults. Although it is commonly related to hippocampal pathology, increasing evidence suggests structural changes beyond the mesiotemporal lobe. Functional anomalies and their link to underlying structural alterations, however, remain incompletely understood. Read More

Clin EEG Neurosci 2020 May 21:1550059420921534. Epub 2020 May 21.

NedComm Lab-Laboratory of NeuroDynamics of Human Communication and Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.

Background.: Successful epilepsy surgery relies on localization and removal of the brain area responsible for initializing the seizures called the epileptogenic zone (EZ). Intracranial EEG (icEEG) is gold standard of this localization but has several limitations like invasiveness and limited covered area. Read More

Neuroradiology 2020 May 20. Epub 2020 May 20.

Department of Radiology, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Great Ormond St, London, WC1N 3JH, UK.

This review updates the radiologist on current epilepsy surgery practice in children, with a specific focus on the role of imaging in pre-surgical work-up, current and novel surgical techniques, expected post-surgical imaging appearances and important post-operative complications. A comprehensive review of the current and emerging international practices in paediatric epilepsy surgical planning and post-operative imaging is provided with details on case-based radiological findings. A detailed discussion of the pathophysiology and imaging features of different epileptogenic lesions will not be discussed as this is not the objective of this paper. Read More

Sci Rep 2020 May 18;10(1):8144. Epub 2020 May 18.

Department of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, Diponegoro University, Jl Prof. Soedarto, Tembalang, Semarang, Jawa Tengah, Indonesia.

Approximately 26-30% of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) cases display a normal-appearing magnetic resonance image (MRI) leading to difficulty in determining the epileptogenic focus. This causes challenges in surgical management, especially in countries with limited resources. The medical records of 154 patients with normal-appearing MRI TLE who underwent epilepsy surgery between July 1999 and July 2019 in our epilepsy centre in Indonesia were examined. Read More

Pediatr Neurol 2020 Apr 14. Epub 2020 Apr 14.

Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama. Electronic address:

Background: To determine if early epilepsy surgery mitigates detrimental effects of refractory epilepsy on development, we investigated surgical and neurodevelopmental outcomes in children with tuberous sclerosis complex who underwent surgery before age two years.

Methods: Prospective multicenter observational study of 160 children with tuberous sclerosis complex. Surgical outcome was determined for the seizure type targeted by surgery. Read More

Rev Neurol (Paris) 2020 Jun 12;176(6):448-455. Epub 2020 May 12.

Service de Neurologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nancy, Nancy, France; CRAN, UMR 7039, CNRS, université de Lorraine, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France.

In contrast to short-term cognitive outcomes, long-term cognitive outcomes (over 5 years) has been scarcely assessed so far. Yet, predicting long-term outcomes at any time point of the epilepsy, from initial diagnosis, to medically intractability is very important for therapeutic decision-making, patient information, and orientation. Assessing long-term cognitive outcomes in patients with epilepsy would ideally require longitudinal studies and a comparison with a healthy controls group. Read More

Dysphagia 2020 May 14. Epub 2020 May 14.

Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Maastricht University Medical Center, PO Box 5800, 6202 AZ, Maastricht, The Netherlands.

This systematic review summarizes published studies on the effect of cranial nerve stimulation (CNS) on swallowing and determines the level of evidence of the included studies to guide the development of future research on new treatment strategies for oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) using CNS. Studies published between January 1990 and October 2019 were found via a systematic comprehensive electronic database search using PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. Two independent reviewers screened all articles based on the title and abstract using strict inclusion criteria. Read More

Trials 2020 May 12;21(1):401. Epub 2020 May 12.

Laboratory of Cardiovascular Clinical Pharmacology, Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research-IRCCS, Via Mario Negri, 2, 20156, Milan, Italy.

Background: Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) are vascular malformations characterized by clusters of enlarged leaky capillaries in the central nervous system. They may result in intracranial haemorrhage, epileptic seizure(s), or focal neurological deficits, and potentially lead to severe disability. Globally, CCMs represent the second most common intracranial vascular malformation in humans, and their familial form (FCCMs) accounts for one-fifth of cases. Read More

J Neurol Sci 2020 Jul 1;414:116872. Epub 2020 May 1.

Epilepsy Unit, Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe, Avinguda de Fernando Abril Martorell, 106, 46026 Valencia, Spain.

Introduction: Surgery is a well-demonstrated effective treatment for patients with refractory epilepsy. However, there are scarce data about the efficacy in older patients. Endpoint was to evaluate the outcome of epilepsy surgery in pharmacorresistant patients operated in middle-late adulthood. Read More

Neuroimage 2020 Aug 7;217:116839. Epub 2020 May 7.

Aix Marseille Univ, INSERM, INS, Inst Neurosci Syst, Marseille, France. Electronic address:

Despite the importance and frequent use of Bayesian frameworks in brain network modeling for parameter inference and model prediction, the advanced sampling algorithms implemented in probabilistic programming languages to overcome the inference difficulties have received relatively little attention in this context. In this technical note, we propose a probabilistic framework, namely the Bayesian Virtual Epileptic Patient (BVEP), which relies on the fusion of structural data of individuals to infer the spatial map of epileptogenicity in a personalized large-scale brain model of epilepsy spread. To invert the individualized whole-brain model employed in this study, we use the recently developed algorithms known as No-U-Turn Sampler (NUTS) as well as Automatic Differentiation Variational Inference (ADVI). Read More

Acta Neurol Scand 2020 May 9. Epub 2020 May 9.

R.Madhavan Nayar Center for Comprehensive Epilepsy Care, Department of Neurology, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, India.

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of personality disorders in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) with mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS) and compare it with general population and analyze their implications on treatment outcome.

Materials And Methods: TLE was diagnosed based on clinical history, MRI, and Video EEG data. IPDE-ICD10 screening questionnaire was applied to investigate personality disorder in 120 subjects, 60 cases, and 60 normal controls. Read More

Neuropsychology 2020 Jul 30;34(5):578-590. Epub 2020 Apr 30.

Sagol Brain Institute, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center.

Objective: Presurgical memory functional MRI (fMRI) mapping for temporal lobe epilepsy surgery is important because of the excision of structures in the temporal lobe (e.g., hippocampus) that are relevant for intact memory. Read More

BMC Med Imaging 2020 Apr 25;20(1):42. Epub 2020 Apr 25.

Department of Radiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China.

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. Read More

Epilepsy Behav 2020 Jun 19;107:107078. Epub 2020 Apr 19.

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, CCM, Research Division of Mind and Brain, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany. Electronic address:

Background: In pediatric epilepsy surgery, little research has been conducted on parents' decision-making for or against surgery, their satisfaction with the surgical outcome, as well as their children's personal experiences with the process.

Objective: This study explores (1) factors that may influence parents' decision-making, (2) factors associated with their postoperative satisfaction, and (3) their children's involvement in decision-making and their experiences with epilepsy surgery.

Methods: Self-developed questionnaires were provided to parents and their children in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Read More

Neurosurg Rev 2020 Apr 21. Epub 2020 Apr 21.

Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Rothschild Foundation Hospital, Paris, France.

Hypothalamic hamartomas are aberrant masses, composed of abnormally distributed neurons and glia. Along endocrine and cognitive symptoms, they may cause epileptic seizures, including the specific gelastic and dacrystic seizures. Surgery is the treatment of drug-resistant hamartoma epilepsy, with associated positive results on endocrine, psychiatric, and cognitive symptoms. Read More

Epileptic Disord 2020 Apr;22(2):156-164

Cleveland Clinic, Epilepsy Center, Cleveland, USA.

Magnetic resonance imaging is of paramount importance in the presurgical evaluation of drug resistant epilepsy. Detection of a potentially epileptogenic lesion significantly improves seizure outcome after surgery. To optimize the detection of subtle lesions, MRI post-processing techniques may be of essential help. Read More

J Neurosurg Pediatr 2020 Apr 17:1-7. Epub 2020 Apr 17.

Departments of1Paediatric Neurology and.

Objective: Resective epilepsy surgery is an established treatment method for children with focal intractable epilepsy, but the use of this method introduces the risk of postsurgical motor deficits. Electrical stimulation mapping (ESM), used to define motor areas and pathways, frequently fails in children. The authors developed and tested a novel ESM protocol in children of all age categories. Read More

Epileptic Disord 2020 Apr;22(2):207-213

Department of Neurology.

Despite advancements in the neurophysiology of language and presurgical evaluation for epilepsy surgery, there is a paucity of information in the literature regarding presurgical evaluation of multilingual patients. We present a case of a 52-year-old right-handed woman with refractory epilepsy who was fluent in six languages and underwent subsequent trilingual presurgical evaluation which included neuropsychological testing, Wada testing, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and electrocortical stimulation. These studies suggested a seizure focus in the left temporal lobe and language localization that was predominantly right-hemispheric; she subsequently underwent left temporal laser interstitial thermal therapy without clinical disturbance in language function while remaining seizure-free. Read More

Neuroimage 2020 Jul 12;215:116763. Epub 2020 Apr 12.

Translational Neuroscience Program, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA; Dept. of Pediatrics, Wayne State University, Children's Hospital of Michigan, Detroit, MI, USA; Dept. of Neurology, Wayne State University, Children's Hospital of Michigan, Detroit, MI, USA; Translational Imaging Laboratory, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA. Electronic address:

Introduction: Cortico-cortical evoked potentials (CCEPs) are utilized to identify effective networks in the human brain. Following single-pulse electrical stimulation of cortical electrodes, evoked responses are recorded from distant cortical areas. A negative deflection (N1) which occurs 10-50 ​ms post-stimulus is considered to be a marker for direct cortico-cortical connectivity. Read More

Wiad Lek 2020 ;73(3):541-545

Department of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Uzhhorod National University, Uzhhorod, Ukraine.

Objective: The aim: To study the effect of epileptic seizures in patients with supratentorial brain meningiomas on the clinical course of meningiomas in the early and late postoperative period.

Patients And Methods: Materials and methods: A retrospective analysis of the course of the disease was performed in 242 patients with total removed supratentorial meningioma of the brain (general group). Long-term outcome of the disease was estimated in 176 people (a catamnesis group). Read More

Epilepsy Behav Rep 2020 21;13:100361. Epub 2020 Mar 21.

Saskatchewan Epilepsy Program, Department of Medicine, Division of Neurology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

We report the rare case of a 34-year-old right-handed male who had drug-resistant epilepsy associated with a frontal cavernoma since the age of 13 who was convicted of criminal charges related to seizures. When he was 32 years old, he had a focal seizure with impaired awareness and then he tried to grab a 7-year-old girl who was in a car coming out from a dance class. He was arrested and taken to the police station. Read More

Neurochirurgie 2020 Jun 8;66(3):139-143. Epub 2020 Apr 8.

Department of Neurosurgery, Rouen University Hospital, 1, rue de Germont, 76031 Rouen, Normandy, France.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the success rate of sEEG in locating the epileptogenic zone (EZ) in patients with pharmaco-resistant epilepsy. Secondary objectives were to analyze sEEG-related morbidity and outcomes for post-sEEG thermocoagulation and cortical resection.

Methods: Data were collected on 49 sEEGs from 46 consecutive patients between 2010 and 2018. Read More

Epilepsy Behav 2020 Jun 7;107:107065. Epub 2020 Apr 7.

Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Department of Medical Biophysics, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Department of Medical Imaging, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.

Objective: The Wada test (WT) is increasingly being replaced by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to evaluate memory lateralization before temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) surgery. We aimed to determine, via meta-analysis, agreement between the two tests and identify predictors of disagreement.

Methods: We performed a systematic search for studies comparing WT and fMRI for memory lateralization with individual-patient data. Read More

Ther Clin Risk Manag 2020 25;16:195-199. Epub 2020 Mar 25.

Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Seirei Hamamatsu General Hospital, Shizuoka, 430-8558, Japan.

Purpose: The population of elderly patients with epilepsy has been growing rapidly and the chances of referring older patients with refractory epilepsy for surgical options could be increasing. In general, epilepsy surgery at higher ages has been less likely to be performed, because little is known regarding the risks and benefits in elderly patients. We, therefore, investigated surgical outcomes and comorbidities in a population ≥50 years old who underwent epilepsy surgery. Read More

Epilepsy Behav 2020 Jun 6;107:107061. Epub 2020 Apr 6.

Section of Pediatrics, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Ferrara, University Hospital Arcispedale Sant'Anna, Ferrara, Italy.

Purpose: Neurocutaneous melanosis (NCM) is a rare congenital syndrome characterized by giant melanocytic cutaneous nevi and melanosis within the central nervous system (CNS), often sparing leptomeninges and concentrated in the brain parenchyma. Epilepsy and neurodevelopmental abnormalities are the only complications reported in children with isolated parenchymal melanosis. A minority of patients experience drug-resistant epilepsy, and up to now, no predictors of epilepsy prognosis have been identified. Read More

Clin Neurophysiol Pract 2020 10;5:64-72. Epub 2020 Mar 10.

HUS Medical Imaging Center, BioMag Laboratory, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Finland.

Objective: To evaluate a novel analysis method (SAMepi) in the localization of interictal epileptiform magnetoencephalographic (MEG) activity in parietal lobe epilepsy (PLE) patients in comparison with equivalent current dipole (ECD) analysis.

Methods: We analyzed the preoperative interictal MEG of 17 operated PLE patients utilizing visual analysis and: (1) ECD with a spherical conductor model; (2) ECD with a boundary element method (BEM) conductor model; and (3) SAMepi - a kurtosis beamformer method. Localization results were compared between the three methods, to the location of the resection and to the clinical outcome. Read More

Obes Surg 2020 Jul;30(7):2715-2722

Medical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.

Background: Scarce data exists about analgesic requirements in super morbidly obese (SMO) patients who underwent sleeve gastrectomy. We attempted to investigate analgesic requirements for SMO, when compared with morbidly obese (MO) individuals who underwent sleeve gastrectomy and its impact on postoperative outcome.

Methods: We studied 279 consecutive patients (183 MO, 96 SMO) who underwent bariatric surgery. Read More

Neurosurg Focus 2020 04;48(4):E13

6Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama; and.

Objective: The goal of this study was to evaluate the predictive value and relative contribution of noninvasive presurgical functional imaging modalities based on the authors' institutional experience in pursuing seizure-free surgical outcomes in children with medically refractory epilepsy.

Methods: This was a retrospective, single-institution, observational cohort study of pediatric patients who underwent evaluation and surgical treatment for medically refractory partial epilepsy between December 2003 and June 2016. During this interval, 108 children with medically refractory partial epilepsy underwent evaluation for localization and resective epilepsy surgery. Read More