Neurochirurgie
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Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common form of intractable partial epilepsy in adults. Surgery (lobectomy or amygdalohippocampectomy) is effective in most patients. However, some complications can occur and brain shift, hematoma into the post operative cavity and occulomotor nerve palsy have been reported due to the surgical technic. ⋯ In the seizure-free patient group, postoperative EEG showed interictal temporal spikes at three months, one year and two years located in the anterior temporal region. Temporal disconnection is effective, prevents the occurrence of subdural cyst and hematomas in the temporal cavity, prevents the occurrence of oculomotor palsy, and limits the occurrence of quadranopsia. However, comparative studies are required to evaluate temporal disconnection as an alternative to lobectomy in nonlesional TLE.
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We present here a review of the work on neuromodulation - defined as application of an inhibitory or excitatory current - on intracranial structures for the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy. Near 250 patients were treated using a neuromodulation technique of the cerebellum (paravermian cortex), the CM-pf nucleus of the thalamus, the hippocampus, epileptogenic foci, and anterior ventral nucleus of the thalamus, with a one- to 15-year follow-up. Four contact strips were used for cerebellar and functional region neuromodulation, and DBS-type depth electrodes were stereotactically implanted for CM-pf and anterior nuclei of the thalamus and hippocampal neuromodulation. ⋯ Seizure reduction was associated with improved neuropsychological performance and better quality of life. Neuromodulation is safe and effective for the treatment of epileptic seizures of various origins. Several targets may be associated in a single patient, especially when bilateral hippocampal seizure foci are present.
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After the occurrence of long-term complications of hemispherectomy, various methods have been used to reduce them. The aim was to reduce the large dead space left inside the skull. We have developed an original hemispheric disconnection technique that can achieve the same results as anatomic hemispherectomy in epilepsy, with excellent short- and long term-reliability. The detailed technique is described.
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Hemispheric disconnection has been largely proposed for patients with severe epilepsy associated with a congenital or acquired hemispheric cerebral pathology. The classical procedure of anatomical hemispherectomy was progressively abandoned by neurosurgeons in order to avoid postoperative complications since then hemispherotomy techniques have been developed. Globally, with hemispheric disconnection, the rate of patients becoming seizure-free has been between 50 and 80%. ⋯ Cerebral reorganization has been proved to exist in motor and language recovery. Ipsilateral corticospinal pathways seem to be involved in the movement of hemiplegic limbs. Everyday language can be supported by both hemispheres, but there is an early hemispheric specialization of the left hemisphere according to metaphonologic abilities.
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Surgery of partial epilepsies in childhood has largely benefited from the recent advances of imaging techniques, which carry a triple goal: (1) to contribute to the localization of the epilepsy onset zone, (2) to detect and delineate an underlying lesion, and (3) to study the spatial relationship between the epileptogenic zone and the neighboring functional cortex, in order to select patients and plan the resection. This noninvasive presurgical imaging workup must be compared to clinical and electrical data to estimate the postoperative prognosis, while invasive techniques such as SEEG, cortical stimulations, and IAT often remain indispensable in difficult cases, i.e., in cryptogenic epilepsies. ⋯ Multimodal imaging greatly enhances the sensitivity of all of these techniques. Finally, functional MRI of motor and language functions provide noninvasive cortical mapping of essential functions, using age-adapted paradigms, in cooperating children from age five to six and from IQs around 60.