Pain & Central Nervous System Week via NewsEdge :

2008 SEP 8 - (NewsRx.com) -- "Malformations of cortical development (MCD) have been increasingly recognized as an important cause of intractable epilepsy (see also Epilepsy). The aim of our study was to define epileptogenicity of MCDs by correlating MRI, EEG and semiology of epileptic attacks, and to determine the effect of MCD on drug resistant epilepsy," scientists writing in the journal Collegium Antropologicum report.

"We also intended to reveal the utility of interictal single photo emission computed tomography (SPECT) in verification of MCD lesions and relative prevalence of different MCDs. Based on interictal EEG finding, semiology of the epileptic attacks and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) >> electroclinical epileptogenicity << of MCD was defined. Brain MRI revealed cortical dysplasia (CD) in nine patients, polymicrogyria in four patients, lissencephaly and schizencephaly in one patient each. Three patients had a combination of malformations. The localization of SPECT hypoperfusion corresponded to MCD lesion in ten (66.67%) patients. Electroclinically confirmed epileptogenicity of MCD overlapped with MR and interictal SPECT findings in fourteen (93.3%) and nine (60.0%) patients, respectively," wrote D. Sporis and colleagues.

The researchers concluded: "Our study results demonstrated the MCD lesions to be highly epileptogenic and a frequent cause of intractability."

Sporis and colleagues published their study in Collegium Antropologicum (Epilepsy due to malformations of cortical development - Correlation of clinical, MRI and Tc-99mECD SPECT findings. Collegium Antropologicum, 2008;32(2):345-350).

Additional information can be obtained by contacting D. Sporis, University of Hospital Zagreb, Dept. of Neurology, Kispaticeva 12, Zagreb 10000, Croatia.

The publisher of the journal Collegium Antropologicum can be contacted at: Collegium Antropologicum, Institute Anthropological Research, PO Box 290, Ulica Grada Vukovara 72, IV, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.

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