Postoperative interictal spikes during sleep contralateral to the operated side is associated with unfavourable surgical outcome in patients with preoperative bitemporal spikes.

PURPOSE: To correlate the persistence of contralateral spikes during sleep after unilateral surgery with seizure outcome in a temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) population and to test the existing hypotheses about the origin of the contralateral spikes in temporal lobe epilepsy. METHODS: In the 19 patients selected for this study unilateral temporal lobe surgery was performed. To investigate the course of bilateral interictal epileptiform discharges observed before surgery in awake or sleep over the temporal lobe contralateral to surgery, 24 h mobile 12 channel EEG recording was performed at minimum two, in average 4.6 (2-10) years after the surgery. RESULTS: The association of postoperative contralateral spikes and non-seizure free outcome was highly significant. The existence of unilateral pathology before surgery was highly predictive for good outcome and disappearance of contralateral spikes. The association between good seizure outcome, disappearance of contralateral spikes and the existence of unilateral pathology before surgery was also significant. Our data partially satisfies the expectations of both the "seizure induced" and mirror type secondary epileptogenesis hypotheses concerning origin of contralateral spikes, but were not completely congruent with either of them. CONCLUSIONS: Unfavourable surgical outcome in a temporal lobe epilepsy group with preoperative independent bilateral interictal spikes was associated with the persistence of postoperative contralateral spikes and lack of unilateral pathology. Compared with seizure outcome the presence/absence and distribution of postoperative interictal spikes in NREM sleep not entirely fit to the predictions of existing secondary epileptogenesis hypotheses.

Intentional seizure interruption may decrease the seizure frequency in drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy.

We investigated the nature of preictal subjective phenomena and whether they had any effect on the seizure frequency in 95 adult patients with medial temporal lobe epilepsy. Seventy-three (77%) patients indicated that they experienced seizure-provoking factors. Ten patients (11%) had prodromas independent of auras, while auras occurred in 89%. Forty-four patients (46%) reported that that they had tried to stop their seizures in the presence of prodroma or aura and this action had resulted in success at least once. Twenty-one patients (22%) regularly tried to stop their seizures because this effort was often successful according to their interpretation. Patients who reported that they could frequently inhibit their seizures had 1.8 +/- 1.6 seizures/month, a significantly lower mean seizure frequency than those 74 patients who did not do it regularly (4.6 +/- 4.8 seizures/month, P<0.001). Patients who reported regular experience in inhibiting intentionally their seizures more often had affective (P=0.05) and vertiginous auras (P<0.01) as well as isolated auras (P<0.05). Patients who experienced provoking factors showed the same seizure frequency as those who did not. Our results suggest that intentional seizure inhibition had an impact on the severity of drug-resistant epilepsy.

Oxcarbazepine placebo-controlled, dose-ranging trial in refractory partial epilepsy.

PURPOSE: The goal of the study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a broad oxcarbazepine (OXC) dosage range (600, 1200, and 2400 mg/d) as adjunctive therapy for uncontrolled partial seizures and to determine the relationship between trough plasma 10-monohydroxy derivative concentrations and OXC safety and efficacy. METHODS: This multinational, multicenter, randomized, 28-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled, four-arm, parallel-group trial enrolled 694 patients aged 15-65 years with uncontrolled partial seizures with or without secondarily generalized seizures. The primary efficacy variable was percentage change in seizure frequency per 28 days relative to baseline. RESULTS: The median reduction in seizure frequency was 26%, 40%, 50%, or 8% for patients receiving 600, 1200, or 2400 mg/d OXC or placebo, respectively (all p < or = 0.0001). Of patients in the 600, 1200, or 2400 mg/d OXC groups, 27%, 42%, and 50% respectively, had more than 50% reduction in seizure frequency compared with 13% for placebo (all p < 0.001). Higher plasma 10-monohydroxy derivative concentrations were associated with larger decreases in seizure frequency (p = 0.0001). During the double-blind treatment phase, 84%, 90%, 98%, and 76% of patients receiving 600, 1200, or 2400 mg/d OXC or placebo, respectively, reported one or more adverse events. The most common adverse events were related to the nervous and digestive systems. CONCLUSIONS: OXC is safe and effective as adjunctive therapy in patients with uncontrolled partial seizures. OXC 600 mg/d was the minimum effective dosage; effectiveness of OXC increased with dose. The rapid and fixed titration to high doses was associated with an increased risk of adverse events, which could potentially be reduced by adjusting concomitant antiepileptic medication and by using a slower, flexible OXC titration schedule.

Hippocampal malrotation with normal corpus callosum: a new entity?

Among 527 MRI examinations of patients with a suspicion of epilepsy in 5 years, we found 32 cases of hippocampal malrotation (HIMAL). The characteristic features are: incomplete inversion of the hippocampus with and abnormally round shape; unilateral involvement of the whole hippocampus; normal signal intensity and size; blurred internal structure; an abnormal angle of collateral sulcus; abnormal position and size of the fornix; normal size of the temporal lobe; enlargement and particular configuration of the temporal horn, typical of corpus callosum agenesis; and a normal corpus callosum. In 7 cases (22%) HIMAL occurred together with developmental disorders. It was predominantly seen in men. The clinical features were varied. Based on some MRI features, the presence of developmental disorders, the male predominance, the frequently positive family history, and a review of the literature, we think HIMAL may be the consequence of a mild hemisphere developmental disorder. It is probably not the basic cause of epilepsy in such varied clinical setting, but may be a sign of a developmental disorder and can help in selecting patients for more meticulous investigation. It also may give some new understanding of brain development.

Investigation of vehicle driving ability in two diagnostic groups of epileptic patients with special neuropsychological approach.

The driving abilities of two groups of epileptic patients (temporal lobe epileptics: 44 and idiopathic generalized epileptics: 26) and control group of healthy volunteers were compared. A computerized device (MST-CARAT), was used validated by comparing the test performance measures with the results of the practical driving tests. Our results show that the neuropsychological aspects deserve greater attention in temporal lobe epileptic patients in general and in those epileptic patients receiving non-monotherapy (especially on Phenobarbital). The level of driving skill of well-treated idiopathic generalized epileptic patients was similar to that of normal drivers.

Effectiveness and tolerance of clobazam in temporal lobe epilepsy.

INTRODUCTION: The main objective of this retrospective study was the further exploration of the loss of efficiency of the clobazam therapy (CLOB tolerance) in resistant temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). MATERIAL AND METHODS: For up to 42 months we closely followed the state of 55 TLE patients placed on CLOB as an add-on therapy. Also, we sought for a connection between CLOB tolerance and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: By the end of the 1st month 71% of the patients were seizure-free; 20% improved; 3% relapsed totally and 6% did not respond at all. After 24 months 15% were seizure-free, 11% maintained the original improved state, 36% relapsed totally and 32% partially--which remained unchanged thereafter. Long-term efficiency was in inverse proportion to the pretreatment interictal spike activity. No significant cross-tolerance was noted between CLOB and clonazepam. CONCLUSION: Although the problem of CLOB tolerance is hardly overestimated, the use of CLOB in the treatment of TLE deserves consideration--despite the possibilities new drugs offer.

A pilot study of the role of prophylactic antiparkinson treatment during neuroleptic therapy.

The authors administered haloperidol 4.5 mg t.i.d. to 33 drug-free schizophrenic patients. Ten patients did not receive anything else (group HPL), while ten patients received procyclidine 5 mg t.i.d., and 13 patients were given promethazine 25 mg t.i.d. (groups HPRC and HPRM respectively) in addition. Seven patients dropped out of the HPL group and three out of the HPRM group, but none out of the HPRC group. These drop outs were due to the development of early extrapyramidal side effects, which were absent in the HPRC group. The findings suggest that antiparkinson prophylaxis is useful during commencement of therapy with high-potency neuroleptic agents.