Three-dimensional neuroimaging in diagnosis and surgical treatment for epilepsy

Development of functional neuroimaging is contributed to diagnosis and treatment in epilepsy patients. The dipole analysis of interictal spikes on EEG or MEG provides 3D-localization of the irritable zone. Interictal and ictal CBF-SPECT reveals the local change in CBF associated to epileptic focus. Three-dimensional stereotactic surface projection (3D-SSP) of SPECT is useful to recognize the seizure generation area. Furthermore, Subtraction ictal SPECT coregistration of MRI (SISCOM), that is fusion image of anatomical and functional brain images, is beneficial to understand the localization of seizure-induced hyperperfusion area. During epilepsy surgery, image-guided system makes less-invasive and accurate surgery possible. Functional image-guided surgery for epilepsy will be available in near future.