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Epilepsy
Research paper
Stereotactic EEG-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy for mesial temporal lobe epilepsy
  1. James X Tao1,
  2. Shasha Wu1,
  3. Maureen Lacy2,
  4. Sandra Rose1,
  5. Naoum P Issa1,
  6. Carina W Yang3,
  7. Katherine E Dorociak2,
  8. Maria Bruzzone1,
  9. Jisoon Kim1,
  10. Ahmad Daif1,
  11. Jason Choi4,
  12. Vernon L Towle1,
  13. Peter C Warnke4
  1. 1 Department of Neurology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
  2. 2 Department of Psychiatry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
  3. 3 Department of Radiology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
  4. 4 Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
  1. Correspondence to Dr James X Tao, Department of Neurology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; jtao{at}neurology.bsd.uchicago.edu

Abstract

Objective To determine the outcomes of combined stereo-electroencephalography-guided and MRI-guided stereotactic laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) in the treatment of patients with drug-resistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE).

Methods We prospectively assessed the surgical and neuropsychological outcomes in 21 patients with medically refractory mTLE who underwent LITT at the University of Chicago Medical Center. We further compared the surgical outcomes in patients with and without mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS).

Results Of the 21 patients, 19 (90%) underwent Invasive EEG study and 11 (52%) achieved freedom from disabling seizures with a mean duration of postoperative follow-up of 24±11 months after LITT. Eight (73%) of 11 patients with MTS achieved freedom from disabling seizures, whereas 3 (30 %) of 10 patients without MTS achieved freedom from disabling seizures. Patients with MTS were significantly more likely to become seizure-free, as compared with those without MTS (P=0.002). There was no significant difference in total ablation volume and the percentage of the ablated amygdalohippocampal complex between seizure-free and non-seizure-free patients. Presurgical and postsurgical neuropsychological assessments were obtained in 10 of 21 patients. While there was no group decline in any neuropsychological assessment, a significant postoperative decline in verbal memory and confrontational naming was observed in individual patients.

Conclusions MRI-guided LITT is a safe and effective alternative to selective amygdalohippocampectomy and anterior temporal lobectomy for mTLE with MTS. Nevertheless, its efficacy in those without MTS seems modest. Large multicentre and prospective studies are warranted to further determine the efficacy and safety of LITT.

  • temporal lobe epilepsy
  • anterior temporal lobectomy
  • drug resistant epilepsy
  • laser ablation
  • selective amygadalohippocampectomy

https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp-2017-316833

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    Footnotes

    • JXT and SW contributed equally.

    • Contributors JXT, SW and PCW: study design, data analysis and manuscript writing. ML and KED: neurocognitive tests, data analysis and manuscript writing. SR, NPI, MB, JK and AD: data collection and analysis. JC: volumetric data analysis. CWY: brain MRI imaging analysis. VLT: electrode reconstruction.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient consent Obtained.

    • Ethics approval The University of Chicago Institutional Review Board (IRB, equivalent to local ethics committee) approved this study and a written consent was obtained in all studied patients.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.