Objective: We aimed to develop consensus for diagnosis/management of SCN8A-related disorders. Utilizing a modified Delphi process, a global cohort of experienced clinicians and caregivers provided input on diagnosis, phenotypes, treatment, and management of SCN8A-related disorders.
Methods: A Core Panel (13 clinicians, one researcher, six caregivers), divided into three subgroups (diagnosis/phenotypes, treatment, comorbidities/prognosis), performed a literature review and developed questions for the modified Delphi process.
Objectives: We aimed to develop consensus on comorbidities (frequency, severity, and prognosis) and overall outcomes in epilepsy, development, and cognition for the five phenotypes of SCN8A-related disorders.
Methods: A core panel consisting of 13 clinicians, 1 researcher, and 6 caregivers was formed and split into three workgroups. One group focused on comorbidities and prognosis.
Objective: This manuscript describes the behavior of impedance of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) electrode over time in a cohort of children with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.
Materials And Methods: Nineteen consecutive pediatric patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome submitted to VNS were studied. All patients had at least four years of follow-up.
Introduction: This article describes our findings while treating patients with refractory generalized epilepsy with combined vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) and centro-median deep brain stimulation (CMDBS).
Materials And Methods: A total of 11 consecutive patients with refractory generalized epilepsy (ten with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome) previously submitted to VNS and who subsequently underwent CMDBS were retrospectively studied. The VNS final parameters were 2 to 2.
Objective: We present the findings related to seizure outcome during hippocampal deep brain stimulation (Hip-DBS) in patients with refractory temporal lobe epilepsy.
Methods: Twenty-five patients submitted to Hip-DBS were studied. All patients were evaluated with interictal and ictal electroencephalography (EEG) and high-resolution 1.
A female adult patient with extensive bilateral periventricular nodular heterotopia (PNH), who was referred for bilateral hippocampal deep brain stimulation (Hip-DBS), was investigated. She presented with daily focal aware and impaired-awareness seizures with automatism and weekly generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Her EEG showed bilateral independent ictal and interictal neocortical temporal lobe discharges and her MRI showed extensive, symmetric PNH.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: We designed a prospective, individual-controlled study to evaluate the effect of cardiac-based VNS (cbVNS) in a cohort of patients with generalized epilepsy (GE).
Materials And Methods: Twenty patients were included. They were followed up for six months under regular VNS (rVNS) and subsequently for six months during cbVNS.
Objective: We report on the seizure frequency and attention outcome during thalamic centromedian stimulation (CM-DBS) in patients with refractory generalized epilepsy (GE).
Methods: Twenty consecutive patients with GE who were submitted to CM-DBS and had at least one year of follow-up were prospectively studied. The CM was targeted bilaterally.
Objective: We designed a prospective, randomized, controlled, double-blind study to evaluate the efficacy of hippocampal deep brain stimulation (Hip-DBS) in patients with refractory temporary lobe epilepsy (TLE).
Methods: Sixteen adult patients with refractory TLE were studied. Patient's workup included medical history, interictal and ictal electroencephalography (EEG), and high-resolution 1.
Objective: We studied patients treated with chronic DBS in whom there was depletion of the generator's battery, in order to get insight on the modulatory potential of chronic DBS in refractory epilepsy.
Material: Nine adult patients with refractory epilepsy treated with at least three years of deep brain stimulation (DBS), and who were followed up for at least six months after battery depletion were studied. One patient was treated with hippocampal DBS (Hip-DBS), two to centro-median DBS (CM-DBS) and six to anterior nucleus stimulation (AN-DBS).
Purpose: In this study, we present the results obtained from a series of patients with refractory temporal lobe epilepsy (r-TLE) who underwent hippocampal deep brain stimulation (Hip-DBS).
Methods: Nine consecutive adult patients were studied. Low-frequency and high-frequency stimulation was carried out immediately after the insertion of each electrode.
Introduction: We report the outcome after vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) in children with secondary generalized epilepsy.
Methods: Twenty-four consecutive children with Lennox-Gastaut or Lennox-like syndrome under the age of 12 years by the time of surgery, who were implanted with a vagus nerve stimulator and had at least two years of postimplantation follow-up, were prospectively included in the study. The generator was turned on using 0.
Purpose: There is currently no resective (potentially curative) surgical option that is useful in patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. Palliative procedures such as callosotomy (Cx), vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) or deep brain stimulation have been offered. We compared the outcomes after Cx or VNS in two consecutive prospective cohorts of patients with generalised epilepsy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been used in an increasing frequency for treatment of refractory epilepsy. Acute deep brain macrostimulation intraoperative findings were sparsely published in the literature. We report on our intraoperative macrostimulation findings during thalamic and hippocampal DBS implantation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSeizure
October 2011
Rationale: The rationale for using a non-linear (proportional) paradigm for determining the extent of the neocortex to be removed in temporal lobe resection was based on anatomical and intra-operative cortical mapping findings. We present our results regarding speech preservation in patients submitted to CAH using the central artery as an anatomical landmark for determining the posterior border of neocortical resection.
Methods: Two hundred and fifty consecutive right-handed patients with left unilateral mesial sclerosis were studied.
Rationale: We describe seizure and neuropsychological outcome obtained after CAH in patients with TLE and normal MRI evaluated in the modern imaging era.
Methods: Forty-five adult consecutive patients with TLE and normal MRI were studied. All patients had neuropsychological testing, interictal and ictal EEG recordings and MRI.
We studied the effects of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) on eating seizures, which theoretically would be triggered by neural activity and signaling from organs innervated by the vagus nerve. Three adult patients with daily nonreflex and reflex eating seizures were studied; one patient also had hot-water seizures. One patient had bilateral polymicrogyria and two had normal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe describe a child with epilepsy associated with double-cortex syndrome in whom vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) generated parkinsonian symptoms. A 13-year-old girl presented with refractory secondary generalized epilepsy from the age of 6 years and mental retardation. Her electroencephalography (EEG) showed diffuse polyspike and wave discharges.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRationale: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been increasingly used in the treatment of refractory epilepsy over the last decade. We report on the outcome after thalamic centro-median (CM) DBS in patients with generalized epilepsy who had been previously treated with extended callosal section.
Methods: Four consecutive patients with generalized epilepsy who were previously submitted to callosal section and had at least 1 year of follow-up after deep brain implantation were studied.
Introduction: Although some degree of bilateral hippocampal involvement might be frequent in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy, severe bilateral mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS) is very rare. We present our experience while treating patients with severe bilateral MTS submitted to invasive recordings.
Methods: Nine adult patients were studied.
Purpose: To study the outcome after hemispherectomy (HP) in a homogeneous adult patient population with refractory hemispheric epilepsy.
Methods: Fourteen adult patients submitted to HP were studied. Patients had to be at least 18 years old, and have refractory epilepsy, clearly focal lateralized seizures and unilateral porencephalus consistent with early middle cerebral artery infarct on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Purpose: We report the outcome of patients with refractory idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) who were submitted to extended one-stage callosal section.
Methods: Eleven patients with IGE who were submitted to extended one-stage callosal section were studied. Preoperative workup included history and neurologic examination, interictal, and ictal electroencephalography (EEG) recording, high resolution 1.
Purpose: We report on the surgical outcome obtained in patients with refractory temporal lobe epilepsy with mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS) who were evaluated preoperatively without ictal recording and were submitted to corticoamygdalohippocampectomy.
Methods: Two hundred twelve patients with refractory temporal lobe epilepsy were evaluated by means of clinical history, neurological examination, interictal electroencephalography (EEG), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and neuropsychological testing. MRI disclosed unilateral MTS in all patients.