Jafar Mehvari Habibabadi1, Houshang Moein1, Reza Basiratnia1, Shervin Badihian1, Bagher Zaki1, Navid Manouchehri1, Mohammad Zare1, Majid Barekatain1, Elham Rahimian1, Amirali Mehvari Habibabadi1, Payam Moein1, Yahya Aghakhani1, Shahram Amina1, Samden Lhatoo1. 1. Kashani Comprehensive Epilepsy Center (JMH, MZ), Kashani Hospital, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences; Departments of Neurology (JMH, SB, BZ, NM, MZ), Isfahan Neurosciences Research Center and Neurosurgery (HM), Department of Radiology (RB), Students' Research Center (SB, NM), and Department of Psychiatry (MB), Psychosomatic Research Center, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences; Shefa Neuroscience Research Center (ER), Tehran, Iran; Students' Research Center (AMH), School of Medicine, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Iran; Department of Neurology (PM), University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN; Department of Clinical Neurosciences (YA), University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; and Epilepsy Center (SA, SL), Neurological Institute, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: We investigated the utility of epilepsy surgery and postoperative outcome in patients with lesional epilepsy in Iran, a relatively resource-poor setting. METHODS: This prospective longitudinal study was conducted during 2007-2017 in Kashani Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Isfahan, Iran. Patients with a diagnosis of intractable focal epilepsy, with MRI lesions, who underwent epilepsy surgery and were followed up ≥ 24 months, were included and evaluated for postoperative outcome. RESULTS: A total of 214 patients, with a mean age of 26.90 ± 9.82 years (59.8% men) were studied. Complex partial seizure was the most common type of seizure (85.9%), and 54.2% of the cases had auras. Temporal lobe lesions (75.2%) and mesial temporal sclerosis (48.1%) were the most frequent etiologies. With a mean follow-up of 62.17 ± 19.33 months, 81.8% of patients became seizure-free postoperatively. Anticonvulsants were reduced in 86% of the cases and discontinued in 40.7%. In keeping with previous studies, we found that seizure freedom rates were lower among patients with longer follow-up periods. CONCLUSIONS: We found high rates of seizure freedom after surgery in lesional epilepsy patients despite limited facilities and infrastructure; antiepileptic medications were successfully tapered in almost half of the patients. Considering the favorable outcome of epilepsy surgery in our series, we believe that it is a major treatment option, even in less resource-intensive settings, and should be encouraged. Strategies to allow larger scale utility of epilepsy surgery in such settings in the developing world and dissemination of such knowledge may be considered an urgent clinical need, given the established mortality and morbidity in refractory epilepsy.
BACKGROUND: We investigated the utility of epilepsy surgery and postoperative outcome in patients with lesional epilepsy in Iran, a relatively resource-poor setting. METHODS: This prospective longitudinal study was conducted during 2007-2017 in Kashani Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Isfahan, Iran. Patients with a diagnosis of intractable focal epilepsy, with MRI lesions, who underwent epilepsy surgery and were followed up ≥ 24 months, were included and evaluated for postoperative outcome. RESULTS: A total of 214 patients, with a mean age of 26.90 ± 9.82 years (59.8% men) were studied. Complex partial seizure was the most common type of seizure (85.9%), and 54.2% of the cases had auras. Temporal lobe lesions (75.2%) and mesial temporal sclerosis (48.1%) were the most frequent etiologies. With a mean follow-up of 62.17 ± 19.33 months, 81.8% of patients became seizure-free postoperatively. Anticonvulsants were reduced in 86% of the cases and discontinued in 40.7%. In keeping with previous studies, we found that seizure freedom rates were lower among patients with longer follow-up periods. CONCLUSIONS: We found high rates of seizure freedom after surgery in lesional epilepsy patients despite limited facilities and infrastructure; antiepileptic medications were successfully tapered in almost half of the patients. Considering the favorable outcome of epilepsy surgery in our series, we believe that it is a major treatment option, even in less resource-intensive settings, and should be encouraged. Strategies to allow larger scale utility of epilepsy surgery in such settings in the developing world and dissemination of such knowledge may be considered an urgent clinical need, given the established mortality and morbidity in refractory epilepsy.
Authors: Stefano Francione; Alexandra Liava; Roberto Mai; Lino Nobili; Ivana Sartori; Laura Tassi; Pina Scarpa; Francesco Cardinale; Laura Castana; Massimo Cossu; Giorgio Lo Russo Journal: Epileptic Disord Date: 2015-03 Impact factor: 1.819
Authors: M J Hennessy; R D Elwes; M Honavar; S Rabe-Hesketh; C D Binnie; C E Polkey Journal: J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry Date: 2001-04 Impact factor: 10.154
Authors: Abdulaziz Alsemari; Faisal Al-Otaibi; Salah Baz; Ibrahim Althubaiti; Hisham Aldhalaan; David Macdonald; Tareq Abalkhail; Miguel E Fiol; Suad Alyamani; Aziza Chedrawi; Frank Leblanc; Andrew Parrent; Donald Maclean; John Girvin Journal: Epilepsy Res Treat Date: 2014-01-30