Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy and ictal asystole in patients with autoimmune encephalitis: a systematic review.

Objective: As autoimmune encephalitis (AE) often involves the mesial temporal structures which are known to be involved in both sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) and ictal asystole (IA), it may represent a good model to study the physiopathology of these phenomena. Herein, we systematically reviewed the occurrence of SUDEP and IA in AE.

Methods: We searched 4 databases (MEDLINE, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science) for studies published between database inception and December 20, 2022, according to the PRISMA guidelines.

The role of hybrid FDG-PET/MRI on decision-making in presurgical evaluation of drug-resistant epilepsy.

Background: When MRI fails to detect a potentially epileptogenic lesion, the chance of a favorable outcome after epilepsy surgery becomes significantly lower (from 60 to 90% to 20-65%). Hybrid FDG-PET/MRI may provide additional information for identifying the epileptogenic zone. We aimed to investigate the possible effect of the introduction of hybrid FDG-PET/MRI into the algorithm of the decision-making in both lesional and non-lesional drug-resistant epileptic patients.

Pathophysiology of paraneoplastic and autoimmune encephalitis: genes, infections, and checkpoint inhibitors.

Paraneoplastic neurological syndromes (PNSs) are rare complications of systemic cancers that can affect all parts of the central and/or peripheral nervous system. A body of experimental and clinical data has demonstrated that the pathogenesis of PNSs is immune-mediated. Nevertheless, the mechanisms leading to immune tolerance breakdown in these conditions remain to be elucidated.

Stroke-Like Presentation of Paraneoplastic Cerebellar Degeneration: a Single-Center Experience and Review of the Literature.

Paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration (PCD) is usually thought to have a subacute progression over several weeks. We report herein incidence and clinical features of hyperacute onset PCD, a vertebrobasilar stroke mimic. We performed a retrospective analysis of all suspected PCD cases referred to the Udine University Hospital between 2009 and 2017.

Seizure specificities in patients with antibody-mediated autoimmune encephalitis.

Accumulating data on patients with autoimmune encephalitis have shed light on specificities concerning clinical presentation and outcomes, which are dependent on the antigen targeted by the autoantibodies found in the patients' cerebrospinal fluid or sera. Such specificities include seizure-related clinical manifestations as well as the responsiveness to antiepileptic drugs. Although increased enthusiasm accompanies the discovery of novel antibodies and their associated clinical syndromes, several issues remain unsettled.

Surgical outcomes related to invasive EEG monitoring with subdural grids or depth electrodes in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: Resective epilepsy surgery based on an invasive EEG-monitors performed with subdural grids (SDG) or depth electrodes (stereo-electroencephalography, SEEG) is considered to be the best option towards achieving seizure-free state in drug-resistant epilepsy. The authors present a meta-analysis, due to the lack of such a study focusing on surgical outcomes originating from SDG- or SEEG-monitors.

Method: English-language studies published until May 2018, highlighting surgical outcomes were reviewed.

Surgical Management of Pediatric Spine Trauma: 12 Years of Experience.

Objective: Spine trauma management in children varies from one team to another, and to date, no clear consensus has been reached. The goal of this study was to describe the epidemiology of spine trauma in children and evaluate the timing and techniques of surgery when it was required.

Methods: A retrospective review of all patients admitted to our pediatric trauma center for spine traumas that required surgical management, between 2005 and 2016, was performed.

EEG analysis in anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis: Description of typical patterns.

Objective: To describe different electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns and epileptic features in patients with anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis (anti-NMDARE), their timeline in the course of the disease, their correlation with clinical data and outcome.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed EEG recordings between November 2007 and June 2016 in 24 consecutive patients.

Results: Three EEG patterns were described: Excessive Beta Activity range 14-20 Hz (EBA) in 71% of patients, Extreme Delta Brush (EDB) in 58% and Generalized Rhythmic Delta Activity (GRDA) in 50%.

Subdural hematoma and electroconvulsive therapy: A case report and review of the literature.

Background And Case Presentation: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a common therapeutic procedure in psychiatry associated with a low rate of complications. We report a rare case of subdural hematoma (SDH) associated with ECT.

Clinical Presentation: a 64 year old woman, with a medical history of persistent depression which required ECT six years previously, underwent ECT following a new acute episode.

Incomplete copolymer degradation of in situ chemotherapy.

In situ carmustine wafers containing 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU) are commonly used for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma to overcome the brain-blood barrier. In theory, this chemotherapy diffuses into the adjacent parenchyma and the excipient degrades in maximum 8 weeks but no clinical data confirms this evolution, because patients are rarely operated again. A 75-year-old patient was operated twice for recurrent glioblastoma, and a carmustine wafer was implanted during the second surgery.

Indications and limits of stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG).

Epilepsy surgery is now an accepted treatment to achieve seizure control in carefully selected patients, both children and adults, suffering from drug-resistant focal epilepsy. Although surgical strategies can often be defined on the basis of non-invasive diagnostic procedures, and despite the recent advances in this field, an increasing number of more complex cases requires invasive EEG (iEEG) to provide precise information on the localization of the epileptogenic zone (EZ), its relationships with eloquent cortex (EC), and the feasibility of a tailored surgical resection. Stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) is one of the iEEG techniques currently used in the presurgical work-up, and it is well-distinguished from other invasive techniques, such as subdural grids and strips.

The combination of stereo-EEG and radiofrequency ablation.

SEEG-guided radiofrequency thermocoagulation (SEEG-guided RFTC), a combination of Stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG) and radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFTC), has been performed since 2001 in drug resistant epilepsy. The interest of this procedure is to aim at total or partial destruction of the epileptogenic zone, as tailored in each individual patient by the SEEG exploration. These multiple SEEG-guided RFTC lesions of epileptic foci are produced by using a radiofrequency generator connected to the electrode contacts.

SEEG-guided radiofrequency thermocoagulation.

We propose expert recommendations on the use of SEEG-guided radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RF-TC) based on an exhaustive literature review. This technique consists in performing a RF-TC lesion using a SEEG depth electrode at the end of the recording. It is indicated when conventional surgical resection of the ictal onset zone is not possible.

Planning and management of SEEG.

Stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) aims to define the epileptogenic zone (EZ), to study its relationship with functional areas and the causal lesion and to evaluate the possibility of surgical therapy. Planning of exploration is based on the validity of the hypotheses developed from electroclinical and imaging correlations. Further investigations can refine the implantation plan (e.

Similarities and differences in neuroplasticity mechanisms between brain gliomas and nonlesional epilepsy.

Objective: To analyze the conceptual and practical implications of a hodotopic approach in neurosurgery, and to compare the similarities and the differences in neuroplasticity mechanisms between low-grade gliomas and nonlesional epilepsy.

Methods: We review the recent data about the hodotopic organization of the brain connectome, alongside the organization of epileptic networks, and analyze how these two structures interact, suggesting therapeutic prospects. Then we focus on the mechanisms of neuroplasticity involved in glioma natural course and after glioma surgery.

Epileptogenic networks in nodular heterotopia: A stereoelectroencephalography study.

Objective: Defining the roles of heterotopic and normotopic cortex in the epileptogenic networks in patients with nodular heterotopia is challenging. To elucidate this issue, we compared heterotopic and normotopic cortex using quantitative signal analysis on stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) recordings.

Methods: Clinically relevant biomarkers of epileptogenicity during ictal (epileptogenicity index; EI) and interictal recordings (high-frequency oscillation and spike) were evaluated in 19 patients undergoing SEEG.

Stereotactic Electroencephalography Is a Safe Procedure, Including for Insular Implantations.

Background: In some cases of drug-resistant focal epilepsy, noninvasive presurgical investigation may be insufficient to identify the ictal onset zone and the eloquent cortical areas. In such situations, invasive investigations are proposed using either stereotactic electroencephalography (SEEG) or subdural grid electrodes. Meta-analysis suggests that SEEG is safer than subdural grid electrodes, but insular implantation of SEEG electrodes has been thought to carry an additional risk of intraparenchymal hemorrhagic complications.

Stereo electroencephalography-guided radiofrequency thermocoagulation (SEEG-guided RF-TC) in drug-resistant focal epilepsy: Results from a 10-year experience.

Objective: Stereo electroencephalography (SEEG)-guided radiofrequency thermocoagulation (SEEG-guided RF-TC) has been proposed since 2004 as a possible treatment of some focal drug-resistant epilepsy. The aim of this study is to provide extensive data about efficacy and safety of SEEG-guided RF-TC.

Methods: Over a 10-year period, 162 patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy were eligible for SEEG-guided RF-TG during phase II invasive investigation by SEEG.

Stereo-electro-encephalography-Guided Radiofrequency Thermocoagulation: From In Vitro and In Vivo Data to Technical Guidelines.

Background: Deep brain electrodes have been used for the past 10 years to produce bipolar stereo-electro-encephalography-guided radiofrequency thermocoagulation (SEEG RF-TC). However, this technique is based on empiric knowledge. The aim of this study is 3-fold: 1) provide in vivo animal data concerning the effect of bipolar RF-TC on brain and its safety; 2) assess the parameters of this procedure (current delivery and dipole selection) that produce the most efficient lesion; and 3) provide technical guidelines.

Morphological imaging of the hippocampus in epilepsy.

The hippocampus is a structure frequently involved in epilepsy, especially in partial drug-resistant forms. In addition, some hippocampal pathologies are associated with specific types of epilepsy presenting specific clinical courses and requiring specific treatments. Considering these major implications for treatment, morphological investigations of the hippocampus are crucial for epileptic patients.