Ictal spitting in left temporal lobe epilepsy: Report of three cases

Purpose: Ictal spitting is rarely reported in patients with epilepsy. More often it is observed in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and is presumed to be a lateralizing sign to language nondominant hemisphere. We report three patients with left TLE who had ictal spitting registered during prolonged video-EEG monitoring.Methods: Medical charts of all patients with medically refractory partial epilepsy submitted to prolonged video-EEG monitoring in the Epilepsy Unit at UNIFESP during a 3-year period were reviewed, in search of reports of ictal spitting. the clinical, neurophysiological and neuroimaging data of the identified patients were reviewed.Results: Among 136 patients evaluated with prolonged video-EEG monitoring, three (2.2%) presented spitting automatisms during complex partial seizures. All of them were right-handed, and had clear signs of left hippocampal sclerosis on MRI. in two patients, in all seizures in which ictal spitting was observed, EEG seizure onset was seen in the left temporal lobe. in the third patient, ictal onset with scalp electrodes was observed in the right temporal lobe, but semi-invasive monitoring with foramen ovate electrodes revealed ictal onset in the left temporal lobe, confirming false lateralization in surface records. the three patients became seizure-free following left anterior temporal lobectomy.Conclusions: Ictal spitting is a rare finding in patients with epilepsy, and may be considered a localizing sign of seizure onset in the temporal lobe. It may be observed in seizures originating from the left temporal lobe, and thus should not be considered a lateralizing sign of nondominant TLE. (C) 2006 British Epilepsy Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Univ São Paulo, Ribeirao Preto Sch Med, Div Neurol, Dept Neurol Psychiat & Clin Psychol, BR-05508 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Radiol, Div Neuroradiol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Div Neurol, Dept Neurol & Neurosurg, UNIPETE, BR-04024002 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Radiol, Div Neuroradiol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Div Neurol, Dept Neurol & Neurosurg, UNIPETE, BR-04024002 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Stereoelectroencephalography in the era of imaging guide surgery

INTRODUCTION: The stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG), introduced by Talairach in 50', is an invasive method of tridimensional analysis of epileptogenic zone based on the intracranial placement of depth electrodes (DE). The advent of modern imaging guided surgery had a tremendous impact in DE implantation techniques. OBJETIVE: The aim of this article is to discuss the main principles of SEEG and its evolution along the years since Talairach era until the imaging guide surgery era, with its new perspectives. CONCLUSIONS: Although the main principles of SEEG have remained intact, the placement of depth electrodes (DE) which is the surgical technique that supports this method has suffered a tremendous evolution along the last three decades due the advent of the modern imaging, the computer systems and the new stereotactic techniques. The use of robotic, the new imaging and computed systems and the use of probes of micro dialise adaptated to EP opened a tremendous perspective to DE and SEEG application as an investigative and therapeutical method. The discovery of new targets in deep brain localization and the manufacturing of smart DE, can increment, in a near future, the number of indications to this method.INTRODUÇÃO: A estereoeletroencefalografia (E-EEG), conforme introduzida na década de 50 por Talairach, é um método invasivo de análise tridimensional da zona epilpeptogênica, baseado na técnica de implantação intracraniana de eletrodos de profundidade (EP). O advento das modernas técnicas de cirurgia guiadas por imagem revolucionaram a técnica de implantação dos EP. OBJETIVO: O objetivo deste artigo é discutir os princípios da E-EEG e sua evolução, desde a era Talairach até a era atual, da cirurgia guiada por imagem, e suas perspectivas futuras. CONCLUSÕES: Embora os princípios gerais da E-EEG tenham permanecidos intactos ao longo dos anos, a implantação de EP, que é a técnica cirúrgica que viabiliza este método, sofreu uma tremenda evolução ao longo das últimas três décadas devido ao advento das modernas técnicas de imagem, de sistemas de computação e das novas técnicas estereotáxicas. O uso de sistemas robotizados, a evolução constante das técnicas de imagem e computação e a utilização de EP com sondas para micro diálise associados a si, abre no futuro uma enorme perspectiva para a aplicação dos EP e da E-EEG, tanto para uso investigativo como terapêutico. A descoberta de novos alvos, em localizações profundas e a fabricação de eletrodos inteligentes, poderá incrementar, num futuro próximo, a necessidade do uso deste método.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de Neurologia e NeurocirurgiaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de Diagnóstico por ImagemUNIFESP, Depto. de Neurologia e NeurocirurgiaUNIFESP, Depto. de Diagnóstico por ImagemSciEL

Hemispheric surgery for refractory epilepsy in children and adolescents: Outcome regarding seizures, motor skills and adaptive function

Purpose: the aim of the study was to report the seizure outcome, motor skills and adaptive motor functions in a series of children and adolescents who underwent hemispheric surgery, analysing the risk-benefits of surgery.Methods: the clinical course, seizure and motor function outcomes of 15 patients who underwent hemispheric surgery were reviewed.Results: the mean age at surgery was 9.5, with 1-9 years follow-up. the underlying pathologies were Rasmussen encephalitis, vascular disorders, and hemimegalencephaly. All the patients presented with severe epilepsy and different degrees of hemiparesis, although motor functionality was preserved in 80% of the patients. At last follow-up, 67% were seizure free, and 20% rarely experienced seizures. Antiepileptic drugs were reduced in 60%, and complete withdrawal from such drugs was successful in 20% of the patients. the motor outcome following the surgery varied between the patients.Despite the motor deficit after surgery, the post-operative motor function showed unchanged for gross motor function in most (60%), while 27% improved. Similar results were obtained for the ability to handle objects in daily life activities. Sixty percent of the children were capable of handling objects, with somewhat reduced coordination and/or motor speed.Conclusion: Pre-surgical motor function continues to play a role in the pre-surgical evaluation process in order to provide a baseline for outcome. Hemispheric surgery, once regarded as a radical intervention and last treatment resource, may become routinely indicated for refractory hemispheric epilepsy in children and adolescents, with oftentime favourable motor outcomes. (C) 2013 British Epilepsy Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Hosp São Paulo, Dept Neurol & Neurocirurgia, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Diagnost Imagem, São Paulo, BrazilInst Neurol & Neurocirugia Cuba, Dept Neuropediat, Havana 10400, CubaUniv São Paulo, Fac Med Ribeirao Preto, Dept Neurociencias & Ciencias Comportamento, BR-14049 Ribeirao Preto, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Hosp São Paulo, Dept Neurol & Neurocirurgia, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Diagnost Imagem, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Granule cell dispersion is associated with memory impairment in right mesial temporal lobe epilepsy

Purpose: We analyzed the association of granule cell dispersion (GCD) with memory performance, clinical data and surgical outcome in a series of patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MILE) and mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS).Method: Hippocampal specimens from 54 patients with MTLE (27 patients with right MILE and 27 with left MTLE) and unilateral MTS, who were separated into CCD and no-GCD groups and thirteen controls were studied. Quantitative neuropathological evaluation was performed using hippocampal sections stained with NeuN. Patients' neuropsychological measures, clinical data, type of MTS and surgical outcome were reviewed.Results: CCD occurred in 28 (51.9%) patients. No correlation between GCD and MTS pattern, clinical data or surgical outcome was found. the presence of GCD was correlated with worse visuospatial memory performance in right MTLE, but not with memory performance in left MTLE.Conclusion: GCD may be related to memory impairment in right MTLE-MTS patients. However, the role of GCD in memory function is not precisely defined. (c) 2012 British Epilepsy Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Instituto Nacional de Neurociencia Translacional (INNT), BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Neurol & Neurosurg, Escola Paulista Med, Unidade Pesquisa & Tratamento Epilepsias, BR-04024002 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psychobiol, Escola Paulista Med, BR-04024002 São Paulo, BrazilSanta Casa São Paulo, Dept Pathol, São Paulo, BrazilAFIP, Dept Pathol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Neurol & Neurosci, Escola Paulista Med, BR-04024002 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Neurol & Neurosurg, Escola Paulista Med, Unidade Pesquisa & Tratamento Epilepsias, BR-04024002 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psychobiol, Escola Paulista Med, BR-04024002 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Neurol & Neurosci, Escola Paulista Med, BR-04024002 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Global burden of 288 causes of death and life expectancy decomposition in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BACKGROUND Regular, detailed reporting on population health by underlying cause of death is fundamental for public health decision making. Cause-specific estimates of mortality and the subsequent effects on life expectancy worldwide are valuable metrics to gauge progress in reducing mortality rates. These estimates are particularly important following large-scale mortality spikes, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. When systematically analysed, mortality rates and life expectancy allow comparisons of the consequences of causes of death globally and over time, providing a nuanced understanding of the effect of these causes on global populations. METHODS The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 cause-of-death analysis estimated mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) from 288 causes of death by age-sex-location-year in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations for each year from 1990 until 2021. The analysis used 56 604 data sources, including data from vital registration and verbal autopsy as well as surveys, censuses, surveillance systems, and cancer registries, among others. As with previous GBD rounds, cause-specific death rates for most causes were estimated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model-a modelling tool developed for GBD to assess the out-of-sample predictive validity of different statistical models and covariate permutations and combine those results to produce cause-specific mortality estimates-with alternative strategies adapted to model causes with insufficient data, substantial changes in reporting over the study period, or unusual epidemiology. YLLs were computed as the product of the number of deaths for each cause-age-sex-location-year and the standard life expectancy at each age. As part of the modelling process, uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated using the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles from a 1000-draw distribution for each metric. We decomposed life expectancy by cause of death, location, and year to show cause-specific effects on life expectancy from 1990 to 2021. We also used the coefficient of variation and the fraction of population affected by 90% of deaths to highlight concentrations of mortality. Findings are reported in counts and age-standardised rates. Methodological improvements for cause-of-death estimates in GBD 2021 include the expansion of under-5-years age group to include four new age groups, enhanced methods to account for stochastic variation of sparse data, and the inclusion of COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality-which includes excess mortality associated with the pandemic, excluding COVID-19, lower respiratory infections, measles, malaria, and pertussis. For this analysis, 199 new country-years of vital registration cause-of-death data, 5 country-years of surveillance data, 21 country-years of verbal autopsy data, and 94 country-years of other data types were added to those used in previous GBD rounds. FINDINGS The leading causes of age-standardised deaths globally were the same in 2019 as they were in 1990; in descending order, these were, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory infections. In 2021, however, COVID-19 replaced stroke as the second-leading age-standardised cause of death, with 94·0 deaths (95% UI 89·2-100·0) per 100 000 population. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the rankings of the leading five causes, lowering stroke to the third-leading and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to the fourth-leading position. In 2021, the highest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 occurred in sub-Saharan Africa (271·0 deaths [250·1-290·7] per 100 000 population) and Latin America and the Caribbean (195·4 deaths [182·1-211·4] per 100 000 population). The lowest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 were in the high-income super-region (48·1 deaths [47·4-48·8] per 100 000 population) and southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania (23·2 deaths [16·3-37·2] per 100 000 population). Globally, life expectancy steadily improved between 1990 and 2019 for 18 of the 22 investigated causes. Decomposition of global and regional life expectancy showed the positive effect that reductions in deaths from enteric infections, lower respiratory infections, stroke, and neonatal deaths, among others have contributed to improved survival over the study period. However, a net reduction of 1·6 years occurred in global life expectancy between 2019 and 2021, primarily due to increased death rates from COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality. Life expectancy was highly variable between super-regions over the study period, with southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania gaining 8·3 years (6·7-9·9) overall, while having the smallest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 (0·4 years). The largest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean (3·6 years). Additionally, 53 of the 288 causes of death were highly concentrated in locations with less than 50% of the global population as of 2021, and these causes of death became progressively more concentrated since 1990, when only 44 causes showed this pattern. The concentration phenomenon is discussed heuristically with respect to enteric and lower respiratory infections, malaria, HIV/AIDS, neonatal disorders, tuberculosis, and measles. INTERPRETATION Long-standing gains in life expectancy and reductions in many of the leading causes of death have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the adverse effects of which were spread unevenly among populations. Despite the pandemic, there has been continued progress in combatting several notable causes of death, leading to improved global life expectancy over the study period. Each of the seven GBD super-regions showed an overall improvement from 1990 and 2021, obscuring the negative effect in the years of the pandemic. Additionally, our findings regarding regional variation in causes of death driving increases in life expectancy hold clear policy utility. Analyses of shifting mortality trends reveal that several causes, once widespread globally, are now increasingly concentrated geographically. These changes in mortality concentration, alongside further investigation of changing risks, interventions, and relevant policy, present an important opportunity to deepen our understanding of mortality-reduction strategies. Examining patterns in mortality concentration might reveal areas where successful public health interventions have been implemented. Translating these successes to locations where certain causes of death remain entrenched can inform policies that work to improve life expectancy for people everywhere. FUNDING Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Refractory epilepsy in children with brain tumors. The urgency of neurosurgery

ABSTRACT In order to verify indications for surgery, 27 patients with refractory epileptic seizures and brain tumor, aged up to 19 years at the time of surgery, were studied between 1996 and 2013 and followed up for at least one year. The mean interval between the onset of seizures and the diagnosis of the tumor was 3.6 years, and from diagnosis to the surgery, 18 months. The location of the tumor was in the temporal lobe in 16, with ganglioglioma and dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors being the most frequent. Among the patients, 92.5% and 90.4% were seizure-free in the first and fifth year after surgery, respectively. Twelve of 16 children were successful in becoming drug-free, with complete withdrawal by 3.2 years. Surgery proved to be potentially curative and safe in these cases, suggesting that the tumor diagnosis and surgery cannot be postponed

Evolución posquirúrgica en pacientes con encefalitis de Rasmussen operados por hemisferotomía

Introduction. Rasmussen's encephalitis (RE) is a progressive pathology affecting the brain that causes unilateral hemispheric atrophy, neurological dysfunction and refractory epilepsy. Hemispherotomy is considered the most effective treatment today, but some cases present certain peculiarities that can seriously affect the decision to go ahead with this procedure.Aims. To evaluate the post-operative progress made by children with RE who have undergone hemispherotomy surgery, and who, in the pre-operative assessment, presented certain characteristics that complicated the decision to perform surgery.Patients and methods. The sample selected for study consisted of the cases of RE attended in the Hospital Sao Paulo between 2003 and 2012 who, in the pre-surgery evaluation, presented clinical, electroencephalographic or neuroimaging evidence of involvement of both brain hemispheres, compromise of the dominant brain hemisphere, absence of severe neurological deficit and absence of criteria for refractory epilepsy and atypical crises. The post-operative assessment of the epileptic seizures was evaluated using the Engel scale; motor function was analysed with the Gross Motor Function Classification System and Manual Ability Classification System scales, and language was evaluated clinically.Results. Six cases were selected (four girls), with a mean age at clinical onset of 3.3 +/- 1.2 years (range: 2-7 years) and a mean age at hemispherotomy of 6.7 years (range: 2.3-16.5 years). The mean post-surgery follow-up time was three years (range: 0.5-7.2 years). In the post-surgery evaluation of the epileptic seizures, four cases were classified as Engel class I (66%); there was some improvement in motor functioning in five of them, and language improved in all cases.Conclusions. Hemispherotomy must be considered an efficient option for treatment in children with RE.Inst Neurol & Neurocirugia, Dept Neuropediat, Havana 10400, CubaUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Neurol & Neurocirugia, Hosp Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Diagnost Imagen, Sao Paulo, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Neurol & Neurocirugia, Hosp Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Diagnost Imagen, Sao Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc