The Value of Regional Cerebral Blood Flow SPECT and FDG PET in Operculoinsular Epilepsy.

Purpose: Operculoinsular epilepsy (OIE) can be challenging to diagnose. While the value of SPECT cerebral blood flow and PET F-FDG studies for presurgical evaluation of patients with medial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) is well established, it remains unclear whether they can help identify an operculoinsular epileptic focus. This study assesses the value of interictal/ictal regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) SPECT and FDG PET for OIE diagnosis.

Methods: Eighteen patients with proven OIE who underwent interictal/ictal rCBF SPECT and/or FDG-PET prior to epilepsy surgery were identified from our clinical database and were compared with a group of 18 patients who underwent MTLE surgery. Regional cerebral blood flow SPECT and FDG PET images were reevaluated visually by an expert reader blind to clinical data.

Results: Interictal/ictal rCBF SPECT correctly identified an operculoinsular focus in 11 (65%) of 17 OIE patients and was misleading in 3 cases (18%). Secondary activation in areas connected to the insula was often observed. In the MTLE group, the area of maximal increased perfusion was congruent in 12 (75%) of 16 patients and extended to the ipsilateral insula in 1 patient. FDG PET findings were concordant with the epileptic focus in 8 (47%) of 17 OIE patients and were misleading in 4 (24%), whereas they were concordant in all MTLE patients.

Conclusions: Interictal/ictal rCBF SPECT can identify a concordant operculoinsular focus in a significant proportion of OIE patients and offers a valuable diagnostic tool in nonlesional cases. By contrast, the value of interictal FDG PET in this population is more equivocal.