RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: A single-center experience with pediatric patients who underwent surgery for intractable rolandic epilepsy was reviewed with the aim of identifying putative factors that could influence postoperative seizure outcome in this population. METHODS: Clinical data of 48 patients under 18 years of age with diagnosis of intractable rolandic epilepsy who underwent surgery from January 1996 to September 2009 were reviewed. RESULTS: Patients' mean age at surgery was 9.9 ± 5.3 years; mean age at epilepsy onset was 3.9 years; mean seizure duration prior to surgery was 6 years; and mean follow-up was 5.1 years. The most frequent etiologies were cortical dysplasia, astrogliosis, tumors, tuberous sclerosis complex, and Sturge-Weber syndrome, which were observed in 20/48 (41.6%), 10/48 (20.8%), 10/48 (20.8%), 5/48 (10.4%), and 3/48 (6.2%) of the patients, respectively. After surgery, 20 patients (41.6%) showed neurological deficits, which in turn recovered within no longer than 6 months after surgery. Seizure outcome was classified as Engel class I in 29 (60.4%), Engel class II in 10 (20.8%), and Engel class III in 9 (18.8%) of the patients. The factors significantly related with seizure outcome were histological features (tumor versus non-tumor cases, p = 0.04) and lesion site (focal lesions versus non-focal lesions, p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Tailored resection of rolandic cortex for intractable epilepsy can be safely performed in children. Accurate mapping of both functional cortex and epileptogenic areas may lead to improved seizure outcome. Tumor as well as focal lesions in hand and face motor areas are associated with good seizure outcome.
Assuntos
Córtex Cerebral/cirurgia , Epilepsia Rolândica/cirurgia , Procedimentos Neurocirúrgicos/métodos , Adolescente , Córtex Cerebral/patologia , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Eletroencefalografia , Epilepsia Rolândica/patologia , Feminino , Humanos , Lactente , Masculino , Monitorização IntraoperatóriaRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze neurophysiologic aspects of rolandic discharges. METHODS: We reviewed 45 electroencephalograms of patients divided into two groups: those with benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BCECTS) and symptomatic partial epilepsy (SPE), following ILAE criteria (1989). The EEG data analyzed were: horizontal dipole discharges, double spike phenomenon, the extension of epileptiform discharges and background activity. RESULTS: There was a predominance of horizontal dipole between patients with BCECTS compared with patients with SPE; however, this difference was not statistically significant. There was also no statistically significant difference between the two groups when the double spike phenomenon and the extension of discharges beyond the rolandic area were considered. The slower background activity in the SPE group was the only variable with statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed similarities between rolandic discharges of two different epilepsy groups. The only reliable parameter to differentiate the groups was the background activity. SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings suggest that most EEG rolandic features are not pathognomonic of BCECTS, as they are related to the area of the discharges and not to the epileptic syndrome itself.
Assuntos
Encéfalo/fisiopatologia , Eletroencefalografia , Epilepsia Rolândica/patologia , Adolescente , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Eletroencefalografia/classificação , Epilepsia Rolândica/fisiopatologia , Feminino , Humanos , Imageamento por Ressonância Magnética/métodos , Masculino , Análise Numérica Assistida por Computador , Estudos RetrospectivosRESUMO
INTRODUCTION: The complicated forms of rolandic epilepsy progress with a continuous spike-wave pattern in slow-wave sleep. Experiments conducted in cats suggest that this pattern can only appear if there is bilateral thalamic insult. AIM. To determine whether thalamic hypoperfusion is associated with the complicated variants of rolandic epilepsy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A group of 24 children were studied over a period of six years following their first epileptic seizure. During the follow-up an interictal magnetic resonance scan and single-photon emission computerised tomography (SPECT) were performed. Results were examined to ascertain whether there were asymmetries in the distribution of cerebral blood flow through structures, using parametric statistical maps. The brain SPECT was performed when progression to atypical benign partial epilepsy in infancy was diagnosed and in typical forms of rolandic epilepsy when there was some mild neuropsychological deficit that led the specialist to suspect the existence of a focal cortical lesion. RESULTS: Bilateral thalamic hypoperfusion was found in all patients diagnosed with atypical benign partial epilepsy in infancy, which was correlated with the presence of continuous spike-waves during the slow-wave phase of non-REM sleep. CONCLUSIONS: Bilateral thalamic hypoperfusion seems to be a necessary condition for the atypical progression of rolandic epilepsy.