Lizbeth Hernández-Ronquillo

A Review of the Epidemiology of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

Partial-onset epilepsies account for about 60% of all adult epilepsy cases, and temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common type of partial epilepsy referred for epilepsy surgery and often refractory to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Little is known about the epidemiology of TLE, because it requires advanced neuroimaging, positive EEG, and appropriate clinical semiology to confirm the diagnosis. Moreover, recently recognized incidentally detected mesial temporal sclerosis in otherwise healthy individuals and benign temporal epilepsy indicate that the true epidemiology of TLE is underestimated. Our current knowledge on the epidemiology of TLE derives from data published from tertiary referral centers and/or inferred from population-based studies dealing with epilepsy. This article reviews the following aspects of the epidemiology of TLE: definitions, studies describing epidemiological rates, methodological observations, the interpretation of available studies, and recommendations for future studies.

Factors associated with therapy noncompliance in type-2 diabetes patients

OBJECTIVE To identify the frequency and factors associated with therapy noncompliance in type-2 diabetes mellitus patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS A cross-sectional study was carried out in 79 patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus seen in major hospitals of Mexico City. Patients were visited at home, from March 1998 to August 1999, to measure compliance with prescribed therapy. Complying patients were defined as those taking at least 80% of their pills or 80% of their corresponding insulin dose. The degree of compliance with therapy components (diet, amount of exercise, and keeping appointments) was measured. RESULTS The average age of study subjects was 59 years (SD 11 years); 73% (n = 58) were female subjects. The overall frequency of noncompliance was 39%. Noncompliance rates were: 62% for dietary recommendations, 85% for exercise, 17% for intake of oral hypoglycemic medication, 13% for insulin application, and 3% for appointment keeping. Hypertension plus obesity was the only factor significantly associated with noncompliance (OR 4.58, CI 95% 1.0, 22.4, p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS The frequency of therapy noncompliance was very high, especially for diet and exercise.

Psychiatric outcomes of epilepsy surgery: A systematic review

Purpose:  The objective of this systematic review was to identify: (1) prevalence and severity of psychiatric conditions before and after resective epilepsy surgery, (2) incidence of postsurgical psychiatric conditions, and (3) predictors of psychiatric status after surgery.

A validation of the new definition of drug‐resistant epilepsy by the International League Against Epilepsy

To establish applicability, the recently proposed International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) consensus on drug‐resistant epilepsy (DRE) requires testing in clinical and research settings. This study evaluates the reliability and validity of these criteria in a clinical population.

Ambulatory EEG: a cost-effective alternative to inpatient video-EEG in adult patients

IntroductionAmbulatory electroencephalography (AEEG) is a monitoring technique that allows the recording of continuous EEG activity when patients are at home, without the necessity of admission to the hospital for prolonged video-EEG monitoring.MethodsThis is a prospective cohort study performed in a Canadian academic centre in order to assess the yield and tolerability of AEEG in the adult population. Over a period of three years, 101 patients were included. The yield of AEEG was assessed by taking into account the questions asked by the clinician before and after the investigation.ResultsOne hundred and one patients undergoing AEEG were prospectively recruited during a three-year-period. Our population consisted of 45 males (44.6%) and 56 females (55.4%). The mean age of the group was 36.6±16.1 years. Most of the patients had at least one previous routine EEG (93%). The primary reasons for the AEEGs were subdivided into four categories: a) to differentiate between seizures and non-epileptic events; b) to determine the frequency of seizures and epileptiform discharges; c) to characterize seizure type or localization; and d) to potentially diagnose epilepsy. The mean duration of AEEG recording was 32±17 hours (15–96 hours). For 73 (72%) patients, the AEEG provided information that was useful for the management. For 28 (28%) patients, the AEEG did not provide information on diagnosis because no events or epileptiform activity occurred. In only 1 patient was the AEEG inconclusive due to nonphysiological artefacts. Three patients were referred for epilepsy surgery without the necessity of video-EEG telemetry.ConclusionIn this study, we found that AEEG has a high diagnostic yield (72%) and believe that careful selection of patients is the most important factor for a high diagnostic yield. The main use of AEEG is the characterization of patients with nonepileptic events, in patients with a diagnosis of epilepsy that is not clear, and quantification of spikes and seizures to improve the medical management. Ambulatory EEG is a cost-effective solution for increasing demands for in-hospital video-EEG monitoring of adult patients.

Is rapid withdrawal of anti-epileptic drug therapy during video EEG monitoring safe and efficacious?

PURPOSE Video electroencephalographic monitoring (VEM) is used to record ictal and interictal epileptiform activity and to ascertain the level of concordance between the two. Often, taper or discontinuation of anti-epileptic (AED) therapy is needed to facilitate seizure occurrence. The safety of this practice is unclear and long-term sequelae have yet to be elucidated. METHODS This is a prospective study of 158 patients subjected to combined sleep-deprived VEM with rapid AED withdrawal, for evaluation of seizure-like episodes over 24 months under the care of an epileptologist with direct nursing observation and EEG technician support in our telemetry unit. In most cases, AEDs were discontinued within 24h of admission. We assessed the diagnostic yield and safety of VEM as well as epilepsy surgery outcomes. RESULTS VEM answered the study question in 90.5% of cases but failed to record ictal events in 9.5%. This diagnostic yield was achieved over a mean VEM duration of 4.53±1.44 days, with no benefit of longer monitoring. These findings improved quality of life by optimizing medical and surgical therapeutic planning, leading to improved seizure control. Overall, 32.9% of the cohort received epilepsy surgery. The complication rate was 5.06%, characterized largely by musculoskeletal pain secondary to clinical seizure activity, with no mortality observed. In the first month following VEM 2.5% of patients received emergency-room admission for seizure clustering. CONCLUSIONS VEM with combined sleep deprivation and protocolized rapid AED withdrawal is a safe and effective investigative technique with no adverse long-term sequelae. It is a reliable strategy for therapeutic planning and can be used to determine candidacy for surgical treatment.

Safety and Yield of Early Cessation of AEDs in Video-EEG Telemetry and Outcomes

BACKGROUND Video-electroencephalography (VEEG) telemetry is the simultaneous recording of ictal and interictal EEG pattern and paroxysmal behavior to investigate the nature of paroxysmal events. METHODS This is a prospective study performed to asses the safety and yield of early discontinuation of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in the telemetry unit. Over a 2.5-year period, 50 patients that met the indications for VEEG monitoring were admitted by an epileptologist to neuro-observation units with continuous monitoring, nursing coverage and EEG technicians support during working hours and on-call thereafter. In most cases AEDs (except Phenobarbital) were discontinued in 24h. We prospectively assessed the yield and safety of the telemetry investigation as well as epilepsy surgery outcomes. RESULTS Our monitoring answered the study question in 88% of the patients. The question was not answered in 12% of cases due to the lack of recorded events. Our results changed the management in 74% of cases and potentially improved quality of life by decreasing the AEDs consumption and number of seizures per month. Over all, 22% received epilepsy surgery and became either seizure free or their seizures became non-disabling. Our method significantly decreased the duration of hospital admission for monitoring and minimal complications occurred only in 8% of patients. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, our method for short VEEG monitoring has a high yield for diagnosis, minimal complications and is cost effective. These qualities, together with good surgery results validate our method for the investigation and treatment of refractory seizure cases.

Management of antiepileptic drugs following epilepsy surgery: A meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE No consensus exists regarding the management of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) after successful epilepsy surgery (ES). We performed a meta-analysis with the most relevant evidence in this topic. Our aim was to provide evidence-based estimates of results on AEDs discontinuation after ES. METHODS We searched MEDLINE and Embase using Medical Subject Headings and keywords related to AEDs discontinuation after ES. Two reviewers independently applied the following inclusion criteria: original published research that directly compared seizure outcomes in patients having or not AEDs discontinuation after ES. Two investigators independently extracted data, resolving disagreements through discussion. A random and fixed-effect model was used to derive a pooled odds ratio (OR) for either seizure recurrence in both groups. RESULTS Of 257 abstracts initially identified by the search, 57 were reviewed as full text. Sixteen articles fulfilled eligibility criteria and described outcomes in 1456 patients with AEDs discontinuation and 685 patients with no discontinuation. The odds of having seizure recurrence after AEDs discontinuation was 0.39 times lower in patients with attempted discontinuation after surgery (OR 0.39, CI 95% 0.300-0.507, p<0.001). Most likely the difference is related with a selected population where discontinuation was attempted. SIGNIFICANCE Seizure recurrence was higher for patients without AED modification than for the withdrawal group. Patients with seizure recurrence after discontinuation can be managed easily after re-start of medications. The discontinuation of medications should be done in good candidates and the decision should be individualized taking into account clinical, electrographical, imaging and histopathological variables.

Obesity and its association with generalised epilepsy, idiopathic syndrome, and family history of epilepsy

Aim. Previous studies support the concept that obesity is a common comorbid condition in patients with epilepsy (PWE). In this study, we present the body mass index (BMI) and data from a survey to assess physical activity in a sample of PWE from an epilepsy clinic. Methods. Between June of 2011 and January of 2013, 100 PWE from an adult epilepsy clinic were included. We obtained BMI, waist circumference, and information regarding physical activity using a standardised questionnaire. Clinical, demographic, electrographic, and imaging parameters were collected from charts. Results. Mean age of patients was 40 ± 14 (18-77) years. The BMI distribution was as follows: 2 patients (2%) underweight, 26 (26%) normal weight, 34 (34%) overweight, 25 (25%) obese, and 13 (13%) with morbid obesity. In our study, obesity was defined as having a BMI ≥ 30. We found 38 (38%) patients in this range. There was no difference in the rate of drug-resistant epilepsy between obese and non-obese patients (55 vs. 55%; p=0.05). Leisure time habit was reported in 82% of obese patients and 79% of patients without obesity. Overall, the most frequent activity was walking (70%). Factors associated with obesity were generalised epilepsy (OR: 2.7, 1.1-6.6; p=0.012), idiopathic syndrome (OR: 2.7, 1.04-7; p=0.018), and family history of epilepsy (OR: 6.1, 1.5-24.2; p=0.002). Conclusion. Our study suggests an association between obesity, idiopathic generalised epilepsy, and family history of epilepsy. Our study shows that PWE are physically active and there is no clear relation between exercise and obesity. We could not identify any association between drug-resistant epilepsy and obesity. Absence of direct comparison with a control non-epileptic population; a cross-sectional design not allowing evaluation of a causal association among variables; and reliance on self-reported physical activity are to be considered as limitations of the present study.

Association between body mass index and migraine.

Objective: To explore the prevalence of overweight and obesity in patients with migraine. Background: Previous studies support the concept that obesity is an exacerbating factor for migraine. Also, some studies have found an increased frequency of obesity and overweight in migraine patients compared to the normal population. Methods: We studied 1,371 patients with migraine and 612 controls. The migraine population was matched by gender with a healthy control group. Results: Mean age of patients with migraine was 38.0 ± 13.3 years and in the controls it was 34.8 ± 12.1 years. The percentage of females in both groups was similar (migraine 81.6% vs. control 83.3%, p = 0.40). The distribution of body mass index (BMI) in migraine patients and controls was as follows: underweight patients (BMI <18.5) 3.1% migraine versus controls 1.5%; normal (BMI 18.5–24.9) 44.8% migraine versus controls 47.1%; overweight (BMI 25–29.9) 38.3% migraine versus controls 33.7%; obese (BMI 30–34.5) 10.3% migraine versus controls 13.6%; morbidly obese (BMI 35) 3.4% migraine versus controls 4.2%. Overweight and obesity in migraine patients versus controls were statistically significant. No association was found between the disability and severity of migraine and BMI. Conclusions: This study did not find associations between severity or disability of migraine and BMI.