Stereological evaluation of temporal lobe/telencephalon volume in temporal lobe epilepsy using the Cavalieri principle.

AIM: Epilepsy is a temporary electric discharge in the brain cells due to shortterm brain function disorder. Epileptic seizures mostly stem from the temporal lobe. The prevalence is the same for women and men. It is thought that there are both microscopic- and macroscopic-level localized changes in the temporal lobe epilepsy. This study aims to assess the volumetric changes that might occur in temporal lobe epilepsy and compare these with normal brains.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: Volumetric assessment of temporal lobes and telencephalons was performed using the stereological method on the magnetic resonance images (MRI) of 30 female temporal lobe epilepsy patients and 30 healthy females (control group). The volume ratio of temporal lobe to the whole telencephalon was calculated by means of the Cavalieri principle over the coronal MR images of all participants. The section images were transformed into a series of images by Image j program and the measurements were performed by using a point grid.
RESULTS: The patient group's temporal lobe/telencephalon volumetric ratios were found to be significantly lower than that of the normal participants.
CONCLUSION: The pattern of temporal lobe volume decrease in TLE may be due to a combined effect of the electrical discharges during seizures and secondary damage due to disconnection.