New Perspectives on International Epilepsy Day

On International Day of epilepsy Spanish Society of Medical Radiology (serum) indicates that Laser removal of epileptic lesions mri guidedrm) is a much less invasive surgery with less risk, because the image is acquired in real time avoid surgical risks, It is a technique in which first the laser probe is placed in the operating room, then the patient is placed in the MRI and thermal changes in the area to be treated are examined using guided imaging.

According to Nuria BargalPresident of the Spanish Society of Neuroradiology and member of the Spanish Society of Medical Radiology (serum) and speaker at the 37th SERAM Congress in Barcelona next May, where he will give a presentation on “Advances in epilepsy imaging studies”: “It is estimated that between produces 8 and 10 percent of the populationhe is going to present a epileptic seizures during life, However it is important to note that not all patients with epileptic seizures will develop epilepsy. When a patient has two or more seizures more than 24 hours apart and with a similar pattern, the patient is diagnosed with epilepsy.

Almost every year they will be diagnosed with epilepsy 5 million people in the worldBut two types of epilepsy patients must be distinguished, those that respond to treatment. antiepileptic drugs And patients who are resistant to these treatments. It is estimated that only 0.4 percent of the general population will be patients. Do not respond to medicinal treatment, Imaging studies have a very relevant role in these patients, as it is estimated that 30 percent brain injuries Which cause epileptic seizures. These injuries may occur previous heart attack, post-traumatic changes, congenital malformations that are sometimes easy to see in standard CT or MRI studies. However, there is a percentage of patients who have very minor injuries And only through advanced techniques can we detect these potentially epileptogenic lesions,” he explains. BargaloHe is also the head of the Neuroradiology section of hospital clinic barcelona,

Another technique that has been developed in recent times is functional MRI, which is being used to determine The cerebral hemisphere is crucial for language function. Or the memory is able to predict the possible outcomes if a decision is made to operate on a patient. It is also being used to better study neural networks related to epilepsy.

Quantification and Artificial Intelligence Software

moreover Lesion removal and functional MRI, Other major advances in this field are the improvement in spatial resolution of MR studies in drug-resistant patients; development of or Quantification and Artificial Intelligence Software which allows us to compare one person’s brain with the brains of thousands of people and determine which areas of the brain show small changes And this may correspond to small changes in brain development that cause epilepsy.

Bargallo explains that “It has been proven that if a patient drug-resistant epilepsyIf a lesion has been detected by imaging and can be operated on, its prognosis is much better than if a patient undergoes surgery without a previously detected lesion. This is why it is essential to utilize its full potential imaging techniques To be able to detect these lesions that are often very subtle and difficult to see.”

The role of the neuroradiologist is fundamental, especially in cases where the patient is drug resistant. Brain changes can be very subtle and a Specialized High Resolution MR Protocol To explore these findings. The neuroradiologist must be an expert in evaluating these findings and must participate in multidisciplinary sessions with the entire team of epilepsy units, because, in many cases, a second review of the images with all the information obtained with other techniques such as positron Emission tomography is necessary (pet) or brain mapping using electroencephalography (EEG,