• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제44권4호
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• pp.234-239
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• 2008

Objective : There are a few reports on the complications of surgery for epilepsy. We surveyed our data to present complications of epilepsy surgeries from the neurosurgeon's point of view and compare our results with other previous reports. Methods : A total of 179 surgical procedures for intractable epilepsy (41 diagnostic, 138 therapeutic) were performed in 92 consecutive patients (10 adults, 82 children) during the last 9.2 years (February. 1997-April. 2006). Their medical records and radiological findings were reviewed to identify and analyze the surgical complications. Results : The diagnostic procedures encompassed various combinations of subdural grid, subdural strips, and depth electrodes. Four minor transient complications developed in 41 diagnostic procedures (4/41=9.8%). A total of 138 therapeutic procedures included 28 anterior temporal lobectomies, 21 other lobectomies, 6 lesionectomies, 21 topectomies, 13 callosotomies, 20 vagus nerve stimulations, 13 multiple subpial transections, and 16 hemispherectomies. Twenty-six complications developed in therapeutic procedures (26/138=18.8%). Out of the 26 complications, 21 complications were transient and reversible (minor; 21/138=15.2%), and 5 were serious complications (major; 5/138=3.6%). Five major complications were one visual field defect, two mortality cases and two vegetative states. There were 2 additional mortality cases which were not related to the surgery itself. Conclusion : Our results indicate that complication rate was higher than previous other reports in minor complications and was comparable in major complications. However, our results show relatively high frequency of mortality cases and severe morbidity case compared to other previous reports. The authors would like to emphasize the importance of acute postoperative care in young pediatric patients as well as meticulous surgical techniques to reduce morbidity and mortality in epilepsy surgery.

• 대한임상검사과학회지
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• 제38권2호
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• pp.141-146
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• 2006

Vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) has been proposed as a possible way to improve the control of refractory epilepsy. We report the effects following VNS treatment in patients with refractory epilepsy. Seventeen patients with a mean age of 12.8 years, ranging from 5 to 29 years, underwent the implantation of vagal nerve stimulation (Cyberonics, Houston, TX). We reviewed the clinical findings before and after VNS in seizure frequency, number of antiepileptic drugs (AED), and quality of life (QOL). All of the patients had intractable seizures, eleven of the patients had additional medical complications, three had hippocampus atrophy, one had encephalomalacia, five had encephalitis, one had pachygyria, and one had schizencephaly. Thirteen patients had symptomatic partial epilepsies, three patients had Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and one had cryptogenic partial epilepsy. The mean follow up duration was 35 months. The mean reduction of seizure frequency compared with baseline before VNS was 26.1% after 3 months (p<0.005), 41.9% after 6 months (p<0.001), 46.9% after 1 year (p<0.001), and 53% at the latest follow-up (p<0.001). Twelve patients showed an improvement of QOL such as mood, language, alertness, expression, and motor function. The most common side effects were transient hoarseness or voice change or cough, which was detected in six patients (35%) and wound infection in one patient (5%). This study has shown a good anti-seizure effect of VNS, decrease in seizure frequency and improvements in QOL. We concluded that VNS is a beneficial therapy in refractory epilepsy with a non-resectable epileptic focus. Further studies should be focused on the prediction of unresponsiveness and the adjustment of VNS parameters for maximum efficacy in patients with various medical histories.

• 대한핵의학회지
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• 제29권4호
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• pp.445-450
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• 1995

신피질성 간질에서 발작기 뇌혈류 SPECT는 발작기 표면뇌파도를 기준으로 국소화했을때 67%의 국소화성능을 보였다. MR에 병변을 찾지 못한 57%(12예)에서도 혈류증가부위를 9예에서 찾을 수 있었다. 그리드삽입을 위한 수술부위 결정에 도움을 받은 경우가 MR에 나타난 병변유무와 상관없었다. 반면 MR에서는 43%에서 병변을 찾았다. 일부예에서 혈류증가부위의 확산을 관찰할 수 있었고 드물게 확산이 반대쪽 반구를 포함하는 경우가 있으나 대부분 국소화에 도움이 되는 자료로 사용할 수 있었다. 수술후 간질발작이 가라앉는 것을 확인한 결과를 준거로 성능비교 연구를 확장하여야 한다고 생각하였다.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제60권1호
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• pp.1-9
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• 2017

Malformations of cortical development are rare congenital anomalies of the cerebral cortex, wherein patients present with intractable epilepsy and various degrees of developmental delay. Cases show a spectrum of anomalous cortical formations with diverse anatomic and morphological abnormalities, a variety of genetic causes, and different clinical presentations. Brain magnetic resonance imaging has been of great help in determining the exact morphologies of cortical malformations. The hypothetical mechanisms of malformation include interruptions during the formation of cerebral cortex in the form of viral infection, genetic causes, and vascular events. Recent remarkable developments in genetic analysis methods have improved our understanding of these pathological mechanisms. The present review will discuss normal cortical development, the current proposed malformation classifications, and the diagnostic approach for malformations of cortical development.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제30권11호
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• pp.1300-1307
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• 2001

Purposes : This study reports the possible causes of seizure recurrence in patients underwent previous epilepsy surgery, and surgical strategy for resection of the additional epileptogenic zone locating at the distant area to the site of first resection. Methods : A total of 10 patients with previous surgery due to intractable epilepsy were studied. Five of these underwent standard temporal lobectomy, four extratemporal resection, and one corticoamygdalectomy. Seizure outcome of these were class III-IV. Evaluation methods for reoperation included MRI, 3D-surface rendering of MRI, PET, prologned video-EEG recording with surface electrodes and subdural grid electrodes. Additional resection was done in the frontal lobe in two, in the temporal lobe in three, in the parietal lobe in two, and in the supplementary sensori-motor area in two. Tumor in the superior frontal gyrus in the left hemisphere was removed in one patient. Extent of resection was decided based on the results of ictal subdural grid EEGs and MRI findings. Awake anesthesia and electrocortical stimulation were performed in the two patients for defining the eloquent area. Results : Histopathologic findings revealed extratemporal cortical dysplasia in six, hippocampal sclerosis and cortical dysplasia of the temporal neocortex in one, neuronal gliosis in two, and meningioma in one. Previous pathology of the five patients with cortical dysplasia in the second operation was hippocampal sclerosis plus cortical dysplasia of the temporal neocortex. After reoperation, seizure outcomes were class I in six, class II in three, class III in one at the mean follow-up period of 17.5 months. Characteristically, patients in class II-III after reoperation showed histopathologic findings of hippocampal sclerosis plus temporal neocortical cortical dysplasia plus extratemporal cortical dysplasia. Conclusions : Seizure recurrence after epilepsy surgery was related with the presence of an additional epileptogenic zone distant to the site of first operation, and the majority of the histopathology of the surgical specimens was cortical dysplasia. In particular, hippocampal sclerosis plus temporal neocortical cortical dysplasia was highly related with seizure recurrence in patients with previous operation. In these patients, multimodal evaluation methods were necessary in defining the additional epileptogenic zone.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제59권sup1호
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• pp.139-144
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• 2016

Encephalocraniocutaneous lipomatosis (ECCL) is a rare neurocutaneous syndrome that affects ectomesodermal tissues (skin, eyes, adipose tissue, and brain). The neurologic manifestations associated with ECCL are various including seizures. However, ECCL patients very rarely develop brain tumors that originate from the neuroepithelium. This is the first described case of ECCL in combination with dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor (DNET) that presented with intractable seizures. A 7-year-old girl was admitted to our center because of ECCL and associated uncontrolled seizures. She was born with right anophthalmia and lipomatosis in the right temporal area and endured right temporal lipoma excision at 3 years of age. Seizures began when she was 3 years old, but did not respond to multiple antiepileptic drugs. Brain magnetic resonance (MR) imaging performed at 8 and 10 years of age revealed an interval increase of multifocal hyperintense lesions in the basal ganglia, thalamus, cerebellum, periventricular white matter, and, especially, the right temporal area. A nodular mass near the right hippocampus demonstrated the absence of N-acetylaspartate decrease on brain MR spectroscopy and mildly increased methionine uptake on brain positron emission tomography, suggesting low-grade tumor. Twenty-four-hour video electroencephalographic monitoring also indicated seizures originating from the right temporal area. Right temporal lobectomy was performed without complications, and the nodular lesion was pathologically identified as DNET. The patient has been seizure-free for 14 months since surgery. Although ECCL-associated brain tumors are very rare, careful follow-up imaging and surgical resection is recommended for patients with intractable seizures.

• 한국정보통신학회논문지
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• 제10권8호
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• pp.1471-1477
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• 2006

뇌파 기록은 난치성 간질 환자인 성인을 대상으로 하였다. 경막하 전극으로 부터 기록된 피질뇌파를 위상차해석에 의해서 간질 초점의 동정 및 발작파 전파의 가시화를 행하였다. 발작파의 세밀한 시간변화를 조사하기 위해서 자기 회귀모델, 웨이브렛해석을 이용하여 발작파 성분을 구하고, 상호상관법에 의해 각 전극 간의 위상차를 해석했다. 그 결과, 발작파의 초점은 적어도 2종류가 존재하였고, 각각의 전파방법도 달랐다. 이로 부터 발작파의 출현 기구는 동시에 적어도 2종류 존재하는 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 또한, 발작파 출현의 변화를 경시적으로 해석할 수 있기 때문에 발작파 전파의 가시화에 유효하다고 생각되어 진다.

• 대한핵의학회지
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• 제28권3호
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• pp.307-312
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• 1994

Interictal single photon emission computed tomography of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF SPECT) in 18 intractable temporal lobe epilepsy patients(8 male and 10 female patients: average 23.5 years old) were compared with 2.0 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). And surgical outcome was analysed with the findings, symptom duration and lateralization of temporal lobe. Preoperatively rCBF SPECT was done in all 18 patients with intravenous injection of 740 MBq 99mTc-HMPAO. MRI was also done preoperatively in 13 patients. Surgical outcome was classified by Engel's outcome classification(four-part classification recommended at the first Palm Desert conference). rCBF SPECT detected correctly lateralising abnormality of temporal lobe hypoperfusion in 13/18(72.2%), contralateral temporal lobe hypoperfusion in 2/18(11.1%) and showed no def-inite abnormality in 3/18(16.7%). The positive predictive value of unilateral temporal lobe hypoperfusion was 87%. MRI detected correct localising abnormality in 8/13(61.5%), such as hippocampal atrophy(7/13), asymmetric temporal horn(6/13), anterior temporal lobe atrophy(1/13), increased signal intensity from hippocampus(1/13) and calcific density(1/13), and no abnormal finding was noted in 5/13(38.5%). There was no false positive findings and the positive predictive value of MRI was 100%. Only 2 cases showed same lateralization findings in rCBF SPECT and MRI. There was no significant correlation between symptom duration and no abnormal findings on SPECT or MRI. Surgical outcome showed class I in 15/18(83.3%), and class II in 2/18(11.1%). One case of no abnormal finding in both SPECT and MRI showed class III surgical outcome. No class IV surgical outcome was noted. Surgical outcome, lateralization of epileptic focus in temporal lobe and abnormal findings in rCBR SPECT or MRI were not significantly correlated.

• 대한임상검사과학회지
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• 제51권2호
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• pp.198-204
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• 2019

여러가지 약물에도 발작의 증세가 조절되지 않는 난치성 뇌전증 환자에서 다양한 치료법들을 시도해 볼 수 있다. 하지만 그 중 수술적인 방법이 필요한 환자에서는 수술 전 검사를 통해 발작부위의 절제부분을 결정한다. 정확한 병변의 측정과 안전한 수술을 위해 뇌 피질에 전극 삽입술을 시행한다. 피질에 삽입된 전극으로 단순히 뇌파만을 기록하는 것이 아니라 다양한 검사를 시도해 그 부위가 갖는 기능을 확인할 수 있고 그런 검사법 중 하나로 유발전위 검사법이 있다. 2015년 1월부터 2018년 12월까지 70명의 환자를 대상으로 측정된 파형의 경향이 의미하는 바를 분석하였다. 뇌 피질에 삽입된 전극에서 기록된 체성감각유발전위는 중심고랑의 주행경로를 찾아 일차운동영역 및 일차감각영역을 피해 수술 할 수 있다. 또한 청각유발전위와 시각유발전위를 이용해 청각피질과 시각피질에서 기능적 피질의 확인과 뇌파검사상 나타난 발작초점부위와의 관계를 비교해 절제부위를 결정하는데 도움을 주고 수술 후에 발생할 수 있는 기능적 장애를 최소화 할 수 있다.

• 대한의용생체공학회:의공학회지
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• 제36권5호
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• pp.169-176
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• 2015

Implantable closed-loop epilepsy controllers require ideally both accurate epileptic seizure detection and low power consumption. On-chip oscillators can be used in implantable devices because they consume less power than other oscillators such as crystal oscillators. In this study, we investigated the tolerable error range of a lower power on-chip oscillator without losing the accuracy of seizure detection. We used 24 ictal and 14 interictal intracranial electroencephalographic segments recorded from epilepsy surgery patients. The performance variations with respect to oscillator frequency errors were estimated in terms of specificity, modified sensitivity, and detection timing difference of seizure onset using Generic Osorio Frei Algorithm. The frequency errors of on-chip oscillators were set at ${\pm}10%$ as the worst case. Our results showed that an oscillator error of ${\pm}10%$ affected both specificity and modified sensitivity by less than 3%. In addition, seizure onsets were detected with errors earlier or later than without errors and the average detection timing difference varied within less than 0.5 s range. The results suggest that on-chip oscillators could be useful for low-power implantable devices without error compensation circuitry requiring significant additional power. These findings could help the design of closed-loop systems with a seizure detector and automated stimulators for intractable epilepsy patients.