ObjectiveTo investigate the role of amygdala volume index(AVI) in surgcial evaluation in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE), including clinical features, etiologies and surgical outcome. MethodsThirty six patients were diagnosed as mTLE after surgical evaluation including clinical manifestations, video-electroencephalogram (VEEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University between March 2013 and March 2016. Bilateral amygdala AVI was then calculated from amygdala volumes on MRI, which were measured with region of interest (ROI) analysis. All patients were treated surgically. Etiologies of mTLE were further confirmed by the histopathology of the resected tissue. ResultsAmong the 35 patients, there is a strong correlation between AVI on the lesion side and age of onset (R =-0.389, P = 0.019) as well as age of surgery (R =-0.357, P = 0.032). No obvious relation can be seen between AVI and gender, history of febrile convulsion, duration of epilepsy, secondary generalized seizure, side of lesion, presurgical seizure frequency and electrode implantation. There is no significant difference in AVI among the five etiologies. At follow-up, thirty patients (80.5%) reached seizure-free, AVI on the lesion side is nota predictor of surgical failure (P > 0.05). ConclusionAVI plays a role in etiology evaluation in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. Moreover, a larger AVI on the lesion side is correlated with an earlier age of onset. There is limited value of amygdala volume insurgical outcome prediction of patients with mTLE.
Objectives To study the characteristics and influencing factors of sleep disorder in patients with epilepsy. Methods One hundred and eighty-four patients with epilepsy who were admitted to the outpatient department and the epilepsy center in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University from October 2016 to October 2017 were enrolled. Their clinical data were collected in detail and their sleep related scales were evaluated. Sleep related assessment tools: Chinese version of the Pittsburgh sleep quality index scale (PSQI), the Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS), Berlin Questionnaire (BQ), Quality Of Life In People With Epilepsy-31 (QOLIE-31), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Beck Depression Inventory(BDI). Results Among the 184 cases of patients with epilepsy, 100 cases were male (54.3%), 84 cases were female (45.7%), 35 cases (19.0%) had sleep disorders, 89 cases (48.4%) with poor quality of life, 23 cases (12.5%) with anxiety, 47 cases (25.5%) with depression, 59 cases (32.1%) had daytime sleepiness, and 30 cases (16.3%) with OSAS. there were statistically significant differences in age, history of hypertension, seizure frequency, quality of life , anxiety and depression in epilepsy patients with sleep disorder compared those without sleep disorder (P<0.05). The seizure frequency, quality of life, anxiety and depression were analyzed by logistic regression analysis, suggesting that seizure frequency (P=0.011) and depression (P<0.001) are independent risk factors of sleep disorders. Conclusions Epileptic patients with sleep disorder have higher frequency of seizures, poorer quality of life, and are more likely to be associated with anxiety and depression, and the frequency and depression are independent risk factors of sleep disorder in patients with epilepsy.
ObjectiveThe optimal target of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for treating intractable epilepsy is still undefined. Cumulative studies suggest that the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus (MD) is involved in seizure activity, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of high frequency stimulation in MD on pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizures in rats. MethodsThe experimental rats (Male Sprague-Dawley rats 280-350 g) were all provided by Experimental Animal Center, Zhejiang Academy of Medical Science, Hangzhou, China. The rats were given unilateral or bilateral stimulation of the MD at 100 Hz (HFS group) and sham stimulation, others were given unilateral stimulation of the MD at 1 Hz (LFS group). EEGs in the cortex and seizure behavior were recorded with the Neuroscan system at the same time. ResultsNeither LFS nor HFS of the MD changed the latency to the first spikes or EEG manifestations for stage 3 and stage 5 seizures; animals receiving unilateral or bilateral HFS of the MD decreased the number of stage 5 EEG seizure synchronized with the convulsive episodes; LFS and sham stimulation showed multiple periods of continuous spikes which accompanied stage 5 or stage 4 seizures. HFS of unilateral or bilateral MD, but not LFS, decreased the seizure stage, the number of clonic movement episodes, and the duration of acute PTZ-induced seizures. The average latency to onset of myoclonic jerks did not differ among groups. Unilateral and bilateral HFS of the MD had a similar antiepileptic effect. ConclusionHFS of the MD may be of value as a new antiepileptic approach for patients with generalized epilepsy, besides, the seizure model, should be fully considered in clinical application.