Epilepsy & behavior : E&B
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Epilepsy & behavior : E&B · Nov 2016
Review Meta Analysis Comparative StudyDirect and indirect comparison meta-analysis of levetiracetam versus phenytoin or valproate for convulsive status epilepticus.
The aim of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis of published studies to directly compare intravenous (IV) levetiracetam (LEV) with IV phenytoin (PHT) or IV valproate (VPA) as second-line treatment of status epilepticus (SE), to indirectly compare intravenous IV LEV with IV VPA using common reference-based indirect comparison meta-analysis, and to verify whether results of indirect comparisons are consistent with results of head-to-head randomized controlled trials (RCTs) directly comparing IV LEV with IV VPA. ⋯ The absence of a statistically significant difference in direct and indirect comparisons is due to the lack of sufficient statistical power to detect a difference. Conducting a RCT that has not enough people to detect a clinically important difference or to estimate an effect with sufficient precision can be regarded a waste of time and resources and may raise several ethical concerns, especially in RCT on SE.
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Epilepsy & behavior : E&B · Nov 2016
Temporal lobe origin is common in patients who have undergone epilepsy surgery for hypermotor seizures.
Hypermotor seizures are most often reported from the frontal lobe but may also have temporal, parietal, or insular origin. We noted a higher proportion of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy in our surgical cohort who had hypermotor seizures. We evaluated the anatomic localization and surgical outcome in patient with refractory hypermotor seizures who had epilepsy surgery in our center. ⋯ Hypermotor seizures often originated from the temporal lobe in this series of patients who had epilepsy surgery. This large proportion of temporal lobe epilepsy may be the result of a selection bias, due to easier localization and expected better outcome in temporal lobe epilepsy. With extensive presurgical evaluation, including intracranial EEG when needed, seizure freedom can be expected in the majority of patients.
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Epilepsy & behavior : E&B · Oct 2016
Outcomes of resective surgery in children and adolescents with focal lesional epilepsy: The experience of a tertiary epilepsy center.
This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of resective surgery in children with focal lesional epilepsy by evaluating the predictive value of pre- and postsurgical factors in terms of seizure freedom. ⋯ Resective surgery is one of the most effective treatment methods in children with intractable epilepsy. A history of young age of seizure onset, frequent seizures before surgery, secondarily generalized seizures, a multilobar epileptogenic zone, frontal lobe surgery, and focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) are the most important predictive factors indicating that a patient would continue having seizures after surgery. On the other hand, focal seizure semiologies, temporal lobe localization, and hippocampal sclerosis indicate that a patient would have better results in terms of seizure freedom.
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Epilepsy & behavior : E&B · Oct 2016
Public awareness, knowledge, and attitudes toward epilepsy in the Aseer region, Saudi Arabia - A community-based cross-sectional study.
Epilepsy accounts for 0.5% of the global burden of disease, with more than 50 million people affected worldwide; 80% of them are in developing regions. People with epilepsy and their families can suffer from stigma and discrimination in many parts of the world. Although this disorder is common in Saudi Arabia, with a prevalence of 6.54 per 1000, no study of epilepsy awareness, knowledge, and attitudes has been reported from the Aseer region. ⋯ The level of epilepsy awareness in the Aseer region's population is relatively poor and needs improvement.
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Epilepsy & behavior : E&B · Sep 2016
Review Biography Historical ArticleEzio Sciamanna: The Italian contribution to the origin of cortical stimulation mapping in humans.
Influenced by Ferrier's 1873 publication documenting his initial experience with cortical stimulation mapping (CSM) across several species, 19th-century experiments applying electric current to exposed human brain soon followed. Bartholow is commonly credited with the first report of CSM in a conscious human in 1874. ⋯ Sciamanna was in the vanguard of functional localization of brain function through direct stimulation of human gray matter. Unlike Bartholow, who has been canonized in the annals of CSM, Sciamanna has remained relatively obscure, despite the fact that his case may represent a better example of true subdural CSM than his better known contemporary.