Abstract

To evaluate the antiepileptic efficacy of low frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in medically intractable epilepsy. A comprehensive literature search was performed on articles published from 1990 to 2010 in Medline, Pubmed, CINAHL, and Cochrane using the following keywords: epilepsy, seizure, transcranial magnetic stimulation, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation. Two reviewers assessed article eligibility and extracted the data independently. For outcome measures, effect size and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated for seizure frequency, spike number, duration of epileptiform abnormalities (EAs), and resting motor threshold (RMT) by using fixed and random effect models. Eleven articles were identified, with a total of 164 participants. Based on seizure frequency, a significant effect size was found (effect size: 0.34, with a 95% CI at 0.10-0.57). Considering between-study heterogeneity, we conducted a second meta-analysis, and the underlying etiology was considered important for the treatment effect. Cortical dysplasia or neocortical epilepsy showed an effect size of 0.71, with a 95% CI at 0.30-1.12. In contrast, other epileptic disorders showed an effect size of 0.22. Low frequency rTMS has a favorable effect on seizure reduction, particularly evident in patients with neocortical epilepsy or cortical dysplasia.

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