Electrical Status Epilepticus in Sleep: Is this a Focal or Generalized Pattern?

Objectives: To evaluate the spatial distribution of the epileptiform activity in electrical status epilepticus in sleep (ESES) and to correlate data from electroencephalograms (EEGs) with clinical and neuroimaging variables. Methods: From 2008 to 2015, 162 reports (1.01%) out of 16,000 EEGs, from 23 patients, showed ESES. We selected one representative EEG per patient. Clinical data was collected retrospectively. Neuroimaging examinations were reviewed. The EEGs were classified as generalized ESES (ESESg) and focal ESES (ESESf) according to the distribution of epileptiform discharges. Results: From the 23 patients, 5 were classified as ESESg and 18 as ESESf. In ESESf, there was a prevalence of focal epileptic discharges in the centrotemporal regions. Abnormal neuroimaging occurred in 100% of the patients with ESESg and in 38.9% of the patients with ESESf (p=0.037). Other clinical data did not show significant differences between the groups. All patients with ESESg had structural etiology, while only 39% of patients with ESESf had structural etiology and the remaining 61% potentially genetic epilepsies of the rolandic spectrum. Conclusion: ESESg occurred predominantly in patients with structural lesions, while most patients with ESESf had normal neuroimaging scans and electrical dysfunction mainly in the rolandic region. Significance: ESESg seems to occur mostly in structural epilepsies. Distinctly, ESESf occurs in epileptic syndromes within the functional spectrum of rolandic epilepsy.

Surgical treatment of meningiomas located in the rolandic area: the role of navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation for preoperative planning, surgical strategy, and prediction of arachnoidal cleavage and motor outcome

OBJECTIVESurgical treatment of convexity meningiomas is usually considered a low-risk procedure. Nevertheless, the risk of postoperative motor deficits is higher (7.1%–24.7% of all cases) for lesions located in the rolandic region, especially when an arachnoidal cleavage plane with the motor pathway is not identifiable. The authors analyzed the possible role of navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (nTMS) for planning resection of rolandic meningiomas and predicting the presence or lack of an intraoperative arachnoidal cleavage plane as well as the postoperative motor outcome.METHODSClinical data were retrospectively collected from surgical cases involving patients affected by convexity, parasagittal, or falx meningiomas involving the rolandic region, who received preoperative nTMS mapping of the motor cortex (M1) and nTMS-based diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) fiber tracking of the corticospinal tract before surgery at 2 different neurosurgical centers. Surgeons’ self-reported evaluation of the impact of nTMS-based mapping on surgical strategy was analyzed. Moreover, the nTMS mapping accuracy was evaluated in comparison with intraoperative neurophysiological mapping (IONM). Lastly, we assessed the role of nTMS as well as other pre- and intraoperative parameters for predicting the patients’ motor outcome and the presence or absence of an intraoperative arachnoidal cleavage plane.RESULTSForty-seven patients were included in this study. The nTMS-based planning was considered useful in 89.3% of cases, and a change of the surgical strategy was observed in 42.5% of cases. The agreement of nTMS-based planning and IONM-based strategy in 35 patients was 94.2%. A new permanent motor deficit occurred in 8.5% of cases (4 of 47). A higher resting motor threshold (RMT) and the lack of an intraoperative arachnoidal cleavage plane were the only independent predictors of a poor motor outcome (p = 0.04 and p = 0.02, respectively). Moreover, a higher RMT and perilesional edema also predicted the lack of an arachnoidal cleavage plane (p = 0.01 and p = 0.03, respectively). Preoperative motor status, T2 cleft sign, contrast-enhancement pattern, and tumor volume had no predictive value.CONCLUSIONSnTMS-based motor mapping is a useful tool for presurgical assessment of rolandic meningiomas, especially when a clear cleavage plane with M1 is not present. Moreover, the RMT can indicate the presence or absence of an intraoperative cleavage plane and predict the motor outcome, thereby helping to identify high-risk patients before surgery.

Cortical plasticity of motor-eloquent areas measured by navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation in patients with glioma

OBJECTIVEThe goal of this study was to obtain a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying cerebral plasticity. Coupled with noninvasive detection of its occurrence, such an understanding has huge potential to improve glioma therapy. The authors aimed to demonstrate the frequency of plastic reshaping, find clues to the patterns behind it, and prove that it can be recognized noninvasively using navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (nTMS).METHODSThe authors used nTMS to map cortical motor representation in 22 patients with gliomas affecting the precentral gyrus, preoperatively and 3–42 months postoperatively. Location changes of the primary motor area, defined as hotspots and map centers of gravity, were measured.RESULTSSpatial normalization and analysis of hotspots showed an average shift of 5.1 ± 0.9 mm (mean ± SEM) on the mediolateral axis, and 10.7 ± 1.6 mm on the anteroposterior axis. Map centers of gravity were found to have shifted by 4.6 ± 0.8 mm on the mediolateral, and 8.7 ± 1.5 mm on the anteroposterior axis. Motor-eloquent points tended to shift toward the tumor by 4.5 ± 3.6 mm if the lesion was anterior to the rolandic region and by 2.6 ± 3.3 mm if it was located posterior to the rolandic region. Overall, 9 of 16 (56%) patients with high-grade glioma and 3 of 6 (50%) patients with low-grade glioma showed a functional shift > 10 mm at the cortical level.CONCLUSIONSDespite the small size of this series, analysis of these data showed that cortical functional reorganization occurs quite frequently. Moreover, nTMS was shown to detect such plastic reorganization noninvasively.

Neurosurgical management of intractable rolandic epilepsy in children: role of resection in eloquent cortex

Object The authors undertook this study to review their experience with cortical resections in the rolandic region in children with intractable epilepsy. Methods The authors retrospectively reviewed the medical records obtained in 22 children with intractable epilepsy arising from the rolandic region. All patients underwent preoperative electroencephalography (EEG), MR imaging, prolonged video-EEG recordings, functional MR imaging, magnetoencephalography, and in some instances PET/SPECT studies. In 21 patients invasive subdural grid and depth electrode monitoring was performed. Resection of the epileptogenic zones in the rolandic region was undertaken in all cases. Seizure outcome was graded according to the Engel classification. Functional outcome was determined using validated outcome scores. Results There were 10 girls and 12 boys, whose mean age at seizure onset was 3.2 years. The mean age at surgery was 10 years. Seizure duration prior to surgery was a mean of 7.4 years. Nine patients had preoperative hemiparesis. Neuropsychological testing revealed impairment in some domains in 19 patients in whom evaluation was possible. Magnetic resonance imaging abnormalities were identified in 19 patients. Magnetoencephalography was performed in all patients and showed perirolandic spike clusters on the affected side in 20 patients. The mean duration of invasive monitoring was 4.2 days. The mean number of seizures during the period of invasive monitoring was 17. All patients underwent resection that involved primary motor and/or sensory cortex. The most common pathological entity encountered was cortical dysplasia, in 13 children. Immediately postoperatively, 20 patients had differing degrees of hemiparesis, from mild to severe. The hemiparesis improved in all affected patients by 3–6 months postoperatively. With a mean follow-up of 4.1 years (minimum 2 years), seizure outcome in 14 children (64%) was Engel Class I and seizure outcome in 4 (18%) was Engel Class II. In this series, seizure outcome following perirolandic resection was intimately related to the child's age at the time of surgery. By univariate logistic regression analysis, age at surgery was a statistically significant factor predicting seizure outcome (p < 0.024). Conclusions Resection of rolandic cortex for intractable epilepsy is possible with expected morbidity. Accurate mapping of regions of functional cortex and epileptogenic zones may lead to improved seizure outcome in children with intractable rolandic epilepsy. It is important to counsel patients and families preoperatively to prepare them for possible worsened functional outcome involving motor, sensory and/or language pathways.