Photo Credit: kjpargeter

The following is a summary of “Change in Structural Connectivity Following Stereotactic Thermocoagulation in Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Patients,” published in the April 2025 issue of European Journal of Neurology by Jean et al. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to examine the association between postoperative lesions in specific brain regions and their impact on structural and functional connectivity. 

They retrospectively reviewed 21 patients with refractory unilateral MTLE. The percentage of each ablated gray matter region of interest (ROIs) was calculated using a voxel-by-voxel comparison. The percentage of affected fibers was assessed by measuring neuronal changes reflected by a decrease in anisotropy in the pre- and postoperative scans. Graph theory analysis was used to examine changes in the pre- and postoperative structural and functional networks between seizure-free and non-seizure-free groups. 

The results showed that 15 patients (71.42%) were seizure-free and 6 (2pai8.57%) were non-seizure-free at a 12 to 48 months (23.80 ± 8.93) follow-up. About 4 patients (19.04%) reported memory decline. The seizure-free group had a larger ablation volume of both the amygdala (P = 0.024) and rhinal cortex (P = 0.035), with altered structural connectivity networks metrics (P < 0.05) compared to the non-seizure-free group. 

Investigators found that higher ablation of the amygdala and rhinal cortex improved structural connectivity and was linked to better outcomes. The results provided insight into brain connectivity networks in MTLE and may contribute to enhancing SEEG-guided RFTC interventions. 

Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ene.70153