ABSTRACT
A 69-yr-old man had chronic transient ischemia attacks due to severe stenosis of the intracranial portion of the right carotid artery. After failure of both antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy, treatment was successful with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and a coronary Palmaz-Schatz stent. Use of the stent led to a better angiographic result than angioplasty alone. The patient is asymptomatic 4 mo later.
Subject(s)
Angioplasty, Balloon , Carotid Stenosis/therapy , Stents , Aged , Carotid Arteries/diagnostic imaging , Carotid Stenosis/diagnostic imaging , Cerebral Angiography , Humans , MaleABSTRACT
A retrospective single-blind study was carried out to assess the reliability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for determining lateralization of the electrographic focus in 45 patients with intractable temporal lobe epilepsy. With strictly defined MRI diagnostic criteria, the electroencephalographic (EEG) focus was correctly lateralized in 86% of patients. Excluding patients with structural lesions, the criteria provided for correct lateralization of the epileptogenic focus in 78% and false lateralization in 5%. Hippocampal atrophy on T1-weighted images and increased signal intensity from mesial structures on T2-weighted scans were highly reliable for lateralization. Postoperative outcome did not differ between the patients with normal and those with abnormal findings on MRI, but the group sample was inadequate to assess the issue of surgical outcome. These findings suggest that with appropriate techniques and strictly defined diagnostic criteria, MRI can provide reliable seizure lateralization in patients with intractable temporal lobe epilepsy.
