Brain tumors in patients with intractable epilepsy:a clinicopathologic study of thirty-six cases / 天津医药

ABSTRACT

Objective To study the clinicopathologic features of brain tumors in patients with medically intractable epilepsy. Methods The clinical, radiologic and pathologic features of brain tumors in thirty-six patients with intractable epilepsy encountered during the period from 2008 to 2014 in the Epilepsy Center of Haidian Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. Results There were 18 males and 18 females in thirty-six patients. The mean age of seizure onset and disease duration were (14.05 ± 1.67) years and (10.04 ± 1.19) years respectively. The histological types of brain tumors included ganglioglioma (12/36, WHO gradeⅠ,1/36, WHO gradeⅡ), dysembryeplastic neuroepithelial tumor (2/36, WHO gradeⅠ), pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (1/36, WHO gradeⅡ), angiocentric glioma (1/36, WHO gradeⅠ), astrocytoma (4/36, WHO gradeⅡ), oligoastrocytoma (1/36, WHO gradeⅡ, 2/36, WHO gradeⅠ-Ⅱ), oligodendroglioma (1/36, WHO gradeⅠ-Ⅱ,1/36, WHO grade Ⅱ), cavernous hemangioma (4/36) and Sturge-Weber syndrome (1/36). Most of these tumors were located in temporal lobe (25/36, 69.4%). Patients were followed up for 0.5-7 years after operation. One patient was lost for follow up. Seizure outcome after the epilepsy operation revealed that 28 patients (77.8%) had Engel gradeⅠ, 4 patients (11.1%) had Engel gradeⅡ,2 patients (5.6%) had Engel gradeⅢ,1 patient (2.8%) had Engel gradeⅣ. Conclusion Brain tumors in patients with medically intractable epilepsy are almost low grade tumors of the nervous system. Focal cortical dysplasia is existed in most brain tissues from the epilepsy operation. Low grade tumors of the nervous system have close relation with focal cortical dysplasia in patients with medically intractable epilepsy. It is possible that the classifications of pathology diagnosis has connection with prognosis.