MR explores hippocampal abnormalities of epilepsy

Dr. Hermant Parmar and colleagues at the National Neuroscience Institute in Singapore have documented acute hippocampal damage resulting from prolonged seizure activity, using diffusion-weighted MRI and MR spectroscopy. Theirs was one of the first studies to provide noninvasive evidence of such damage in humans.

The team reviewed data in 10 temporal lobe epilepsy patients who underwent MR imaging within 48 hours of acute seizure. DWI showed hyperintensive signal involving the hippocampi in all 10 patients. MRS showed lactate within the abnormal hippocampus in three patients. On follow-up MR during a seizure-free period, five patients demonstrated T2 prolongation and atrophy.

The researchers hope to use these techniques to investigate the pathophysiology of temporal lobe epilepsy, as well as to predict future development of hippocampal sclerosis. They reported their findings at the 2004 RSNA meeting.