Hippocampal cell loss in posttraumatic human epilepsy.

Purpose: We performed this study to determine whether significant head trauma in human adults can result in hippocampal cell loss, particularly in hilar (polymorph) and CA3 neurons, similar to that observed in animal models of traumatic brain injury. We examined the incidence of hippocampal pathology and its relation to temporal neocortical pathology, neuronal reorganization, and other variables.

Methods: Twenty-one of 200 sequential temporal lobectomies had only trauma as a risk factor for epilepsy.

The use of 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose (FDG-PET) positron emission tomography in the routine diagnosis of epilepsy.

Purpose: Positron emission tomography with 2-deoxy fluoroglucose positron emission tomography (18-FDG-PET) is widely used in the pre-surgical evaluation of subjects with epilepsy, but little is known of its usefulness in a non-surgical population.

Procedures: We analyzed the sensitivity of PET as a diagnostic tool in a large unselected population of epilepsy subjects. Pre-surgical and non-surgical portions of this population were individually assessed as well.