Interictal SPECT in the presurgical evaluation in epileptic patients with normal MRI or bilateral mesial temporal sclerosis

• Published in: Arquivos de neuro-psiquiatria Vol. 67; no. 3A; pp. 639 - 642
• Main Authors: Marques, Lucia H N, Ferraz-Filho, José R L, Lins-Filho, Mário L M, Maciel, Marina G, Yoshitake, Rafael, Filetti, Sarah V
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brazil Academia Brasileira de Neurologia - ABNEURO 01.09.2009
• Subjects: Adult; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe - diagnostic imaging; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe - pathology; Female; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Middle Aged; NEUROSCIENCES; PSYCHIATRY; Retrospective Studies; Sclerosis; Sensitivity and Specificity; Temporal Lobe - diagnostic imaging; Temporal Lobe - pathology; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; Young Adult; epilepsy; magnetic resonance imaging; epilepsia; ressonância magnética; SPECT
• ISSN: 0004-282X; 1678-4227; 1678-4227; 0004-282X
• DOI: 10.1590/S0004-282X2009000400012

The aim of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity of interictal compared to ictal SPECT in the lateralization of the epileptogenic focus in refractory temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients that present with normal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or bilateral mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS). Thirty patients with TLE, for whom MRI examinations were normal or who presented with bilateral MTS, were retrospectively studied. Using a confidence interval of 95% and a level of significance for p-value <0.05, an estimated agreement rate of 73% with a minimum agreement rate of 57% was calculated comparing interictal and ictal SPECTs. In conclusion the interictal SPECT is only useful when associated with the ictal SPECT and does not substitute it in the localization of epileptogenic areas in patients with normal MRI or bilateral MTS.