Electrical activity of subcortical areas in epilepsy

The electrical activity of the cortex and subcortex were studied in 22 patients with epilepsy by means of scalp electrodes and a multi-electrode needle which was placed in the depths of the brain with the aid of a stereotaxic instrument. The instrument was designed for man and coordinate measurements were obtained by studies on brains fixed in situ. In the present operative series the position of the needle was checked by pneumoencephalography at the end of the recording. Analysis of records from the scalp and depths of the brain lead to the following conclusions: 1. The cortex and sub-cortex in epileptic patients display comparable normal and abnormal activity. 2. Like the cortex, however, various areas of the sub-cortex may show entirely independent abnormal activity. 3. During the induction of pentathol anesthesia 20 to 30 per second activity appeared first and remained most prominent in outer subcortical leads and showed least in leads from the central grey mass. 4. Isolated seizure discharges from the cortex are common, whereas they are rare in the subcortex. The fact that they do occur is important, because they may account for therapeutic failure in some cases where a cortical focus is ablated. 5. No case was found in which seizure discharges in or around the medial thalamus could be interpreted as initiating 3 per second wave-and-spike discharges of the petit mal type. 6. Primary and secondary cortical discharges have negative sign when referred to a relatively indifferent area. An incoming volley from a distant area is registered as a positive disturbance if referred to an indifferent region. 7. Electrical sign has localizing value in electroencephalography: Negativity indicates a local disturbance; positivity indicates a distant disturbance.     

Treatment of epilepsy in rural areas in Mali

Epilepsy is a public health problem in Africa due to prevalence and social exclusion. We report a follow-up protocol for epileptic patients treated at home in rural areas of Mali. The objectives were: education for the patient, family, and village leaders in orders to achieve good compliance, uninterrupted supply of generic phenobarbitol, follow-up visits once a month for one year then every two months if good compliance with a country physician with delivery of phenobarbitol in sufficient quantity to reach the next visit, verification of correct drug dosage and use, supervision of treatment effect. After two years, the follow-up visits showed that 57.4% of the patients had been seizure free for at least 24 months (more than 4 monthly seizures before treatment). Rate of seizures decreased in 15.7% of the patients. Results were excellent with no seizures, clear physical, psychic and social improvement (work, married life, school attendance). Very few side effects were observed. There were no cases of poisoning. The management scheme is very cost effective: 1.5 USD per month per patient, including phenobarbitol and implementation. There is a need for anti-epilepsy programs in Africa which should be implemented on the local (rural medicalisation), national and international level ("Epilepsy out of the shadows" campaign).     

Partial epilepsy in children

It is reported the analysis of a retrospective and prospective study on a series of 101 patients suffering from partial epilepsy who have been examined at the Neuropediatric Clinics of Hospital General Base Cayetano Heredia during the period that lasted from January 1984 to July 1988. The observation time varied from 6 months to 4 years. The patients age varied from 6 months to 3 years old. There were found 19% of idiopathic epilepsy with 7.7% from benign epilepsies in childhood. The symptomatic epilepsies corresponded to sequels of problems short after birth, followed by tuberculosis granulomata and sequels of infections in the central nervous system.     

Tumor-related epilepsy in children

A 10-year retrospective review of 15 children with cerebral tumors and seizures was conducted to study the factors responsible for delay in the diagnosis of tumors and to assess outcome following surgery. Mean duration of seizures prior to surgery was 37 months. Ninety-three percent had no focal neurologic deficits. Head computed tomography was abnormal in 64%, whereas magnetic resonance imaging was abnormal in all patients. Electroencephalography showed focal abnormalities ipsilateral to the tumor in 73%. There was no surgical mortality. Eighty percent were seizure free or had rare seizures following surgery. Factors contributing to a delayed diagnosis of the brain tumor included a nonfocal neurologic examination and delay in obtaining an appropriate neuroimaging study. We believe that head magnetic resonance imaging should be the investigation of choice in partial epilepsies.     

Fractures in epilepsy children

PurposeTo describe a greater risk of fractures (about 2–6 times more often) in epilepsy children than in children without epilepsy.MethodsThis article describe 126 epilepsy children in age 7–16 who were treated with Antiepileptic Drugs (AEDs) in mono and add-on therapy during 5 years. In the control group were 132 children in age 7–16 without epilepsy and not treated with AEDs, observed in Outpatient Clinic due to headache for 5 years. In both groups we measured bone mineral density (BMD), the calcium and phosphate levels in blood and urine and frequency of fractures. We analyzed both groups statistically (Mann–Whitney test).ResultThe frequency of fractures is 2–3 times greater in children with epilepsy then in the control group. Osteoporosis and osteopenia is more often present in children who have taken AEDs.Differences in calcium and phosphate levels in blood and urine between study and control group are statistically significant (p < 0.001).ConclusionFractures are an important adverse effect in children who are taking AEDs.     

功能区肿瘤继发癫痫的手术治疗

目的总结我科近年来治疗功能区肿瘤继发癫痫的治疗经验,探讨功能区肿瘤继发癫痫的外科治疗原则和方法。方法对2011年5月-2013年5月在我院接受手术治疗的50例功能区肿瘤继发癫痫的患者进行回顾性分析。结果全组病例术前均行系统癫痫外科评估。其中12例行颅内电极皮层电刺激功能区定位,根据肿瘤大小和脑电图所监测到的致痫区以及皮层电刺激所确定的功能范围制定手术切除范围,术后1例出现对侧手指轻瘫,1例出现一过性对侧肢体偏瘫,1例出现一过性失语,其余术后随访无明显神经功能障碍。未行颅内埋藏电极患者38例,综合运用MRI、术中皮层脑电监测和术中B超等多种方法来确认手术切除范围,术后神经功能缺损术后加重5例,7例术后出现对侧肢体轻瘫,2例出现对侧偏麻,4例出现一过性失语。全组术后癫痫无发作达到EngelⅠ级42例（84％）。结论功能区肿瘤继发癫痫的外科治疗要兼顾肿瘤的全切、致痫灶的切除以及功能区的保护。术者的经验和熟练的显微操作是基本前提,术前综合运用多种评估方法,结合术中皮层脑电及术中B超等方法对病灶,致痫区以及功能区进行定位,对保证手术效果起重要作用。颅内埋藏电极长程脑电监测定位致痫灶,并经皮层电刺激定位功能区,可进一步明确病变与致痫灶、功能区重叠程度及毗邻关系,从而为手术切除范围的界定提供了关键信息。     

Ictal body turning in focal epilepsy

Despite the explanations of many lateralization findings, body turning in focal epilepsy has been rarely investigated. One of the aims of this study was to evaluate the role of ictal body turning in the lateralization of focal epilepsies. The records of 263 patients with focal epilepsy (temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), n = 178; extratemporal lobe epilepsy (ETLE), n = 85) who underwent prolonged video-EEG monitoring during presurgical epilepsy evaluation were reviewed. Preoperative findings (TLE, n = 16; ETLE, n = 6) and postoperative outcomes (TLE, n = 7) of patients with focal epilepsy with ictal body turning were assessed. For the evaluation of ictal body turning, two definitions were proposed. Nonversive body turning (NVBT) was used to denote at least a 90° nonforced (without tonic or clonic component) rotation of the upper (shoulder) and lower (hip) parts of the body around the body axis for a minimum of 3 s. Versive body turning (VBT) was used to denote at least a 90° forced (with tonic or clonic component) rotation of the upper (shoulder) and lower (hip) parts of the body around the body axis for a minimum of 3 s. Nonversive body turning was observed in 6% (n = 11) of patients with TLE and 2% (n = 2) of patients with ETLE. For VBT, these ratios were 5% (n = 8) and 7% (n = 6) for patients with TLE and ETLE, respectively. Nonversive body turning was frequently oriented to the same side as the epileptogenic zone (EZ) in TLE and ETLE seizures (76% and 80%, respectively). If the amount of NVBT was greater than 180°, then it was 80% to the same side in TLE seizures. Versive body turning was observed in 86% of the TLE seizures, and 55% of the ETLE seizures were found to be contralateral to the EZ. When present with head turning, NVBT ipsilateral to the EZ and VBT contralateral to the EZ were more valuable for lateralization. In TLE seizures, a significant correlation was found between the head turning and body turning onsets and durations. Our study demonstrated that ictal body turning is a rarely observed but reliable lateralization finding in TLE and ETLE seizures, which also probably has the same pathophysiological mechanism as head turning in TLE seizures.     

Difficulties in the diagnosis of epilepsy in children

On the basis of an analysis of 3 cases it was shown that the occurrence of seizure-like symptoms with abnormal EEG and history data suggesting possible damage to the central nervous system are not always sufficient for an unequivocal diagnosis of epilepsy and for beginning of long-term antiepileptic treatment which is not without adverse effects on the developing organism of a child. For establishing of correct diagnosis and avoiding of too hasty introduction of anticonvulsant treatment not only careful history and family data and pathological EEG tracings should be considered, but the seizure-like symptoms and results of laboratory investigations should be carefully analysed. On many cases, especially in younger children, the diagnosis should be established in hospital.     

四川省绵阳市某农村地区癫痫患者婚姻现状调查

目的调查四川省绵阳市某农村地区癫痫患者婚姻现状及影响因素。方法依据卫生部疾病控制司癫痫防治项目指导组2005年3月制定的《中国农村地区癫痫防治管理》实施方案的要求,抽取四川省绵阳市游仙区和三台县参加农村地区癫痫防治管理项目的农村癫痫患者180例,采用农村地区癫痫患者婚姻状况调查表对其婚姻状况进行问卷调查。结果农村地区癫痫患者已婚率为48.5%,未婚和离异男性患者多于女性(71.1%vs.28.9%,59.4%vs.40.6%,P0.01)。影响癫痫患者结婚的因素为年龄(OR=2.426,95%CI:1.291~4.559)、性别(OR=3.483,95%CI:1.768~6.859)、经济收入(OR=1.981,95%CI:1.034~3.796)、起病年龄(OR=1.027,95%CI:1.008~1.047)。已婚患者的婚姻满意度高于离异患者[(3.28±0.73)vs.(2.62±0.82),P0.01],男性患者高于女性患者(P0.05),癫痫患者配偶的婚姻满意度低于癫痫患者[(3.28±0.73)vs.(2.62±0.82),P0.001]。结论该农村地区癫痫患者已婚率较低,男性患者更难结婚;年龄、性别、经济收入及起病年龄是癫痫患者结婚与否的主要影响因素;男性癫痫患者的婚姻状况值得更多关注。     

Anxiety in children with epilepsy

Although the prevalence is unknown, affective disorders are more common in children with epilepsy than in healthy controls. The purpose of the present study was to examine the occurrence of anxiety in children and adolescents with epilepsy and to determine factors associated with elevation of these symptoms. Children and adolescents (n=101) between the ages of 6 and 16 years were given the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS). Mild to moderate symptoms of anxiety were reported by 23% of the patients. Based on regression analysis, factors significantly associated with increased anxiety included the presence of comorbid learning or behavioral difficulties, ethnicity, and polytherapy. Results suggest the need to monitor children and adolescents with epilepsy for affective symptoms in order to provide appropriate interventions.     

Imaging surgical epilepsy in children

Introduction Epilepsy surgery rests heavily upon magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Technical developments have brought significantly improved efficacy of MR imaging in detecting and assessing surgical epileptogenic lesions, while more clinical experience has brought better definition of the pathological groups.Discussion MRI is fairly efficient in identifying developmental, epilepsy-associated tumors such as ganglioglioma (with its variants gangliocytoma and desmoplastic infantile ganglioglioma), the complex, simple and nonspecific forms of dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor, and the rare pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma. The efficacy of MR imaging is not as good for the diagnosis of focal cortical dysplasia (FCD), as it does not necessarily correlate with histopathological FCD subtypes and does not show the real extent of the dysplasia which may even be missed in a high percentage of cases. Further developments with better, multichannel coils, higher magnetic fields, specific sequences, and different approaches (such as diffusion tensor imaging) for depicting the structural abnormalities may hopefully improve this efficacy. A general review of the MR features of the diverse pathologies concerned with epilepsy surgery in the pediatric context is provided with illustrative images.