Surgical treatment of epilepsy induced by gray matter heterotopia

Abstract

Objective To explore the relationship between gray matter heterotopia and epilepsy and assess the therapeutic effect of surgical intervention. Methods Six cases of gray matter heterotopia-induced epilepsy treated in our department between May, 2004 and May, 2006 were analyzed retrospectively for the clinical characteristics, surgical approaches, and the outcomes in the 2- to 4-year-long follow-up. Results All the patients received surgical interventions through different approaches, including resection of the heterotopic gray matter plus bipolar coagulation of the cortexes in 4 cases, heterotopic gray matter resection with bipolar coagulation of the cortexes and temporal lobectomy in 1 case, and exclusive bipolar coagulation of the cortexes in 1 case. Five patients were free of seizure attach and 1 patient showed significantly reduced seizure attack after the operation. Conclusion Surgical intervention can be effective for treatment of intractable epilepsy induced by gray matter heterotopia. Key words: Gray matter heterotopia; Epilepsy; Surgical procedures