JLE

Epileptic Disorders

MENU

7 tesla T2*-weighted MRI as a tool to improve detection of focal cortical dysplasia Volume 18, numéro 3, September 2016

Illustrations


  • Figure 1A

  • Figure 1B

  • Figure 2

  • Figure 3

Tableaux

Auteurs
1 Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Brain Center Rudolg Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht
2 Department of Radiology, University Medical Center Utrecht
3 Department of Pathology, University Medical Center Utrecht
4 Academic Medical Center, Department of Pathology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
* Correspondence: Tim J. Veersema Universitair Medisch Centrum Utrecht, Internal post number G03.232, PO Box 85500, 3508 GA Utrecht, The Netherlands

Focal cortical dysplasia is one of the most common underlying pathologies in patients who undergo surgery for refractory epilepsy. Absence of a MRI-visible lesion necessitates additional diagnostic tests and is a predictor of poor surgical outcome. We describe a series of six patients with refractory epilepsy due to histopathologically-confirmed focal cortical dysplasia, for whom pre-surgical 7 tesla T2*-weighted MRI was acquired. In four of six patients, T2* sequences showed areas of marked superficial hypointensity, co-localizing with the epileptogenic lesion. 7 tesla T2* hypointensities overlying focal cortical dysplasia may represent leptomeningeal venous vascular abnormalities associated with the underlying dysplastic cortex. Adding T2* sequences to the MRI protocol may aid in the detection of focal cortical dysplasias.