Search results for "Epilepsy"
showing 10 items of 420 documents
3T Double Inversion Recovery Magnetic Resonance Imaging: diagnostic advantages in the evaluation of cortical development anomalies
2016
Abstract Purpose The aim of this work was to investigate the diagnostic value of the DIR sequence at 3T MR imaging operating in the evaluation of cortical development anomalies. Methods We studied 40 patients, with a previous diagnosis of cortical dysplasia, by FLAIR-3D, DIR, FSE T2 and MPR-GE T1 sequences at 3T MRI. Two independent observers evaluated, for each sequence and lesion, some semiological aspects (cortical thickness, cortical signal intensity, white-gray matter blurring, subcortical white matter intensity). We made also a quantitative evaluation of the cortical signal intensity in lesion site, drawing a ROI on each MRI sequences and comparing them to the correspondent normal con…
Subregional Pathology of the Amygdala Complex and Entorhinal Region in Surgical Specimens From Patients With Pharmacoresistant Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
2000
The hippocampus, amygdala complex, and entorhinal region represent anatomically linked limbic structures of the mesiotemporal lobe. Chronic seizures and mnestic deficits in patients with pharmacoresistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) appear to correlate with distinct patterns of histopathological alterations in these areas. The complex anatomical organization of the amygdala and entorhinal region, however, render a detailed neuropathological evaluation of surgical specimens difficult. In this study, we present a combined cytoarchitectonical, pigmentarchitectonical, myelinarchitectonical, and immunohistochemical reconstruction of the amygdala, entorhinal region, and hippocampus from s…
Neural antigens in oligodendrogliomas and dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors
1997
Oligodendrogliomas and dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors (DNT) are frequently associated with epilepsies and share the presence of oligodendroglia-like cells with small round nuclei and optically empty perinuclear halos. The two entities may be difficult to discriminate in small surgical specimens and the origin and differentiation of the oligodendroglia-like cells has been controversial. To better characterize and distinguish the two entities we examined 25 oligodendrogliomas and 16 DNT immunohistochemically for the presence of the proliferation-associated Ki-67 antigen and the following neural antigens: the alpha 1 subunit of the GABAA receptor (GABAR), N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor…
Hsp60 response in experimental and human temporal lobe epilepsy
2015
The mitochondrial chaperonin Hsp60 is a ubiquitous molecule with multiple roles, constitutively expressed and inducible by oxidative stress. In the brain, Hsp60 is widely distributed and has been implicated in neurological disorders, including epilepsy. A role for mitochondria and oxidative stress has been proposed in epileptogenesis of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Here, we investigated the involvement of Hsp60 in TLE using animal and human samples. Hsp60 immunoreactivity in the hippocampus, measured by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry, was increased in a rat model of TLE. Hsp60 was also increased in the hippocampal dentate gyrus neurons somata and neuropil and hippocampus proper …
Door-to-door prevalence survey of epilepsy in three Sicilian municipalities
2001
A door-to-door prevalence survey of epilepsy was conducted in 3 Sicilian municipalities, as of November 1, 1987. In phase 1, the screening by questionnaire of 24,496 eligible subjects (participation = 92%) identified 544 suspected to have epilepsy. In phase 2, neurological evaluation of the 544 subjects yielded 111 with epilepsy. Of the 111 subjects, 103 (93%) had been previously diagnosed, 68 (61%) were taking antiepileptic medication, and 81 (73%) had active epilepsy. Referring to the 81 subjects with active epilepsy, the seizure type was generalized in 60 (74%), partial in 19 (23%) and undetermined in 2 (3%). The prevalence of active epilepsy (per 1,000 population) was 3.3 overall, 3.5 f…
Zonisamide in children and young adults with refractory epilepsy: an open label, multicenter Italian study
2009
Summary Purpose To report on the first multicenter Italian experience with zonisamide as an add-on drug for refractory generalised or partial epilepsy in children, adolescents and young adults. Methods The patients were enrolled in a prospective, add-on, open-label treatment study from eight Italian centres for children and adolescent epilepsy care. Eighty-two young patients (45 males, 37 females), aged between 3 and 34 years (mean 13.1 years), all affected by partial (47) or generalised (35) refractory epilepsy, were enrolled in the study. ZNS was added to the baseline therapy at a starting dose of 1 mg/kg/day twice daily. This dose was increased by 2 mg/kg every 1–2 weeks over a period of…
Levetiracetam during 1-year follow-up in children, adolescents, and young adults with refractory epilepsy
2004
Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of levetiracetam (LEV) in refractory crypto/symptomatic, partial or generalised epilepsy in children, adolescents and young adults. Methods: We performed a prospective open label add-on study in 99 patients (age 12 months to 32 years, mean 14 years) with partial or generalised, crypto/symtpomatic seizures. Levetiracetam was added to no more than two baseline AEDs and the efficacy was rated according to seizure type and frequency. Results: LEV was initiated at the starting dose of 10 mg/kg/day with 5-day increments up to 50 mg/kg/day, unless it was not tolerated. Concomitant therapy was generally not modified throughout the study. After a mean fol…
Rufinamide in refractory childhood epileptic encephalopathies other than Lennox-Gastaut syndrome
2011
Background:  To report on the first multicenter Italian experience with rufinamide as adjunctive drug in children, adolescents and young adults with refractory childhood-onset epileptic encephalopathies other than Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. Methods:  Thirty-eight patients (19 males, 19 females), aged between 4 and 34 (mean 13.7 ± 8.3, median 12.5), all affected by different types of childhood-onset refractory epileptic encephalopathies other than Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, were treated with rufinamide as adjunctive drug for a mean period of 11.4 months (range 3-26 months). Results:  Fifteen of 38 patients (39.5%) had a ≥50% seizure reduction in co…
Incidence and risk factors in sudden unexpected death in epilepsy: a prospective cohort study.
2001
Objective: To determine incidence of and risk factors for sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). Methods: Three epilepsy centers enrolled 4,578 patients and prospectively followed these patients for 16,463 patient-years. The cohort was screened for death annually. Deaths were investigated to determine whether SUDEP occurred. Potential risk factors were compared in SUDEP cases and in controls enrolled contemporaneously at the same center. Results: Incidence of SUDEP was 1.21/1,000 patient-years and was higher among women (1.45/1,000) than men (0.98/1,000). SUDEP accounted for 18% of all deaths. Occurrence of tonic-clonic seizures, treatment with more than two anticonvulsant medications…
The temporal dynamics of postanoxic burst-suppression EEG.
2002
Burst-suppression EEG (BS-EEG) after cardiopulmonary resuscitation implies a bad prognosis, but little is known of the temporal dynamics of postanoxic BS-EEG. The authors studied 24 consecutive patients who developed BS-EEG within 24 hours after cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and followed 20 of these patients with serial EEGs. Except for one patient, BS-EEG was followed by another EEG pattern within 1 day, mainly areactive alpha EEG (n = 6), isoelectric EEG (n = 5), generalized continuous epileptiform discharges (n = 4), or theta; EEG (n = 3). The coexistence of different EEG patterns in the same recording was seen in 10 patients. Serial recordings disclosed a variety of EEG sequences with …