Medical management for neurosurgical related seizures

Functional outcome in patients with traumatic or hemorrhagic brain injuries undergoing decompressive craniectomy versus craniotomy and 6-month rehabilitation

Decompressive craniectomy (DC) and craniotomy (CT) to treat increased intracranial pressure after brain injury are common but controversial choices in clinical practice. Studying a large cohort of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and hemorrhagic stroke (HS) on rehabilitation pathways, we aimed to determine the impact of DC and CT on functional outcome/mortality, and on seizures occurrence. This observational retrospective study included patients with either TBI, or HS, who underwent DC or CT, consecutively admitted to our unit for 6-month neurorehabilitation programs between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2018. Neurological status using Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), and rehabilitation outcome with Functional Independence Measure, both assessed at baseline and on discharge, post-DC cranioplasty, prophylactic antiepileptic drug use, occurrence of early/late seizures, infectious complications, and death during hospitalization were evaluated and analyzed with linear and logistic regression models. Among 278 patients, DC was performed in 98 (66.2%) with HS, and in 98 (75.4%) with TBI, whilst CT in 50 (33.8%) with HS, and in 32 (24.6%) with TBI. On admission, GCS scores were lower in patients treated with CT than in those with DC (HS, p = 0.016; TBI, p = 0.024). Severity of brain injury and older age were the main factors affecting functional outcome, without between-group differences, but DC associated with worse functional outcome, independently from severity or type of brain injury. Unprovoked seizures occurred post-DC cranioplasty more frequently after HS (OR = 5.142, 95% CI 1.026-25.784, p = 0.047). DC and CT shared similar risk of mortality, which associated with sepsis (OR = 16.846, 95% CI 5.663-50.109, p < 0.0001), or acute symptomatic seizures (OR = 4.282, 95% CI 1.276-14.370, p = 0.019), independently from the neurosurgery procedures. Among CT and DC, the latter neurosurgical procedure is at major risk of worse functional outcome in patients with mild-to-severe TBI, or HS undergoing an intensive rehabilitation program. Complications with sepsis or acute symptomatic seizures increase the risk of death.

Does Adjustment of Antiseizure Medication Regimen after Failed Epilepsy Surgery Improve Outcomes?

Background and Objectives: After failed epilepsy surgery, patients often revert to an antiseizure medication (ASM) ASM regimen, which can be adjusted or optimized in three ways: increasing the dose, alternative therapy, and combination therapy. It is unclear which type of antiseizure medication adjustment method can improve outcomes. Materials and Methods: Children who underwent failed epileptic resection surgery at the Department of Neurosurgery, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University between January 2015 and December 2021 were included in this cohort, who were reviewed for whether they underwent adjustment of ASM with increased dose, alternative therapy, or combination therapy. The seizure outcome and quality of life (QoL) were assessed. Two-tailed Fisher exact test and Mann-Whitney U test were used for statistical analysis. Results: Sixty-three children with failed surgery were included for further analysis, with a median follow-up time of 53 months. The median seizure recurrence time was 4 months. At the last follow-up, 36.5% (n = 23) of patients achieved seizure freedom, 41.3% (n = 26) achieved seizure remission, and 61.9% (n = 39) had a good QoL. None of the three types of ASM adjustment improved children's outcomes, whether considered in terms of seizure-free rate, seizure remission rate, or QoL. Early recurrences were significantly associated with decreased probability of seizure freedom (p = 0.02), seizure remission (p = 0.02), and a good QoL (p = 0.01). Conclusions: Children who underwent failed epilepsy surgery remains some potential for late seizure remission from ASM. Yet adjusting ASM regimen does not increase the probability of seizure remission nor does it improve the QoL. Clinicians should complete evaluations and consider the need for other antiepileptic treatment as soon as possible after surgery failed, especially when dealing with children with an early recurrence.

The effects of Hippophae rhamnoides in neuroprotection and behavioral alterations against iron-induced epilepsy

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder in which malfunctioning of the electrical activity of the brain causes recurrent, unprovoked seizures. Epilepsy causes wide symptoms that include cognitive dysfunction, anxiety, behavioral alterations, and histological impairments. In this study, the effect of Hippophae rhamnoides (Sea buckthorn/Sbt) on electrophysiology, behavior, and histology in iron-induced epilepsy was analyzed. Rats were randomly divided into four groups (n = 8); Control group, Epileptic group, Sbt treated epileptic group, and Sbt treated group. To induce epilepsy, the intracortical iron injection was administered at a dose of 5 μl of 100 mM FeCl₃. A significant increase in epileptiform activity, behavioral abnormalities, and histological impairments was observed in the iron-induced epileptic rats. Hippophae rhamnoides berry extract was administered orally at a dose of 1 ml/kg body wt. for one month. Sbt administration significantly reduced the epileptiform activity, improved behavioral abnormalities, and improved histological impairments in epileptic rats. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the antiepileptic effect of Sbt that probably has exerted by its neuroprotective and behavioral alteration potential against iron-induced epilepsy.

Seizure Risk following Open and Expanded Endoscopic Endonasal Approaches for Intradural Skull Base Tumors

Objectives  The incidence of seizures following a craniotomy for tumor removal varies between 15 and 20%. There has been increased use of endoscopic endonasal approaches (EEAs) for a variety of intracranial lesions due to its more direct approach to these pathologies. However, the incidence of postoperative seizures in this population is not well described. Methods  This is a single-center, retrospective review of consecutive patients undergoing EEA or open craniotomy for resection of a cranial base tumor between July 2007 and June 2014. Patients were included if they underwent an EEA for an intradural skull base lesion. Positive cases were defined by electroencephalograms and clinical findings. Patients who underwent a craniotomy to remove extra-axial skull base tumors were analyzed in the same fashion. Results  Of the 577 patients treated with an EEA for intradural tumors, 4 experienced a postoperative seizure (incidence 0.7%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.002-0.02). Over the same period, 481 patients underwent a craniotomy for a skull base lesion of which 27 (5.3%, 95% CI: 0.03-0.08) experienced a seizure after surgery. The odds ratio for EEA was 0.13 (95% CI: 0.05-0.35). Both populations were different in terms of age, gender, tumor histology, and location. Conclusion  This study is the largest series looking at seizure incidence after EEA for intracranial lesions. Seizures are a rare occurrence following uncomplicated endonasal approaches. This must be tempered by selection bias, as there are inherent differences in which patients are treated with either approach that influence the likelihood of seizures.

Understanding Childhood Neuroimmune Diseases of the Central Nervous System

Immune-mediated diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) in childhood are a heterogeneous group of rare conditions sharing the inflammatory involvement of the CNS. This review highlights the growing knowledge of childhood neuroimmune diseases that primarily affect the CNS, outlining the clinical and diagnostic features, the pathobiological mechanisms and genetics, current treatment options, and emerging challenges. The clinical spectrum of these conditions is increasingly expanded, and the underlying mechanisms of dysregulation of the immune system could vary widely. Cell-mediated and antibody-mediated disorders, infection-triggered and paraneoplastic conditions, and genetically defined mechanisms can occur in previously healthy children and can contribute to different stages of the disease. The careful evaluation of the clinical presentation and temporal course of symptoms, the specific neuroimaging and immunological findings, and the exclusion of alternative causes are mandatory in clinical practice for the syndromic diagnosis. A common feature of these conditions is that immunotherapeutic agents could modulate the clinical course and outcomes of the disease. Furthermore, specific symptomatic treatments and comprehensive multidisciplinary care are needed in the overall management. We focus on recent advances on immune-mediated demyelinating CNS disorders, autoimmune encephalitis, interferonopathies, and possible neuroimmune disorders as Rasmussen encephalitis. Better knowledge of these conditions could allow prompt diagnosis and targeted immunotherapy, to decrease morbidity and mortality as well as to improve clinical outcomes, reducing the burden of the disease due to possible long-term neuropsychiatric sequelae. Persisting controversies remain in the rigorous characterization of each specific clinical entity because of the relative rarity in children; moreover, in a large proportion of suspected neuroimmune diseases, the immune "signature" remains unidentified; treatment guidelines are mostly based on retrospective cohort studies and expert opinions; then advances in specific molecular therapies are required. In the future, a better characterization of specific immunological biomarkers may provide a useful understanding of the underlying pathobiological mechanisms of these conditions in order to individualize more tailored therapeutic options and paradigms. Multicenter collaborative research on homogeneous groups of patients who may undergo immunological studies and therapeutic trials could improve the characterization of the underlying mechanisms, the specific phenotypes, and tailored management.