Clinical features and evolution of the gelastic seizures-hypothalamic hamartoma syndrome

Hypothalamic Hamartoma related epilepsy: A systematic review exploring clinical, neuropsychological, and psychiatric outcome after surgery

The post-surgical outcome for Hypothalamic Hamartoma (HH) related epilepsy in terms of seizure freedom (SF) has been extensively studied, while cognitive and psychiatric outcome has been less frequently reported and defined. This is a systematic review of English language papers, analyzing the post-surgical outcome in series of patients with HH-related epilepsy (≥5 patients, at least 6 months follow-up), published within January 2002-December 2022. SF was measured using Engel scale/equivalent scales. We looked at the outcome related to different surgical techniques, and HH types according to Delalande classification. We evaluated the neuropsychological and neuropsychiatric status after surgery, and the occurrence of post-surgical complications. Forty-six articles reporting 1318 patients were included, of which ten pediatric series. SF was reported in 686/1222 patients (56,1%). Delalande classification was reported in 663 patients from 24 studies, of which 70 were type I HH (10%), 320 were type II HH (48%), 189 were type III HH (29%) and 84 were type IV HH (13%). The outcome in term of SF was reported in 243 out of 663 patients. SF was reported in 12 of 24 type I HH (50%), 80 of 132 type II HH (60,6%), 32 of 59 type III HH (54,2%) and 12 of 28 type IV HH (42,9%). SF was reached in 129/262 (49,2%) after microsurgery, 102/199 (51,3%) after endoscopic surgery, 46/114 (40,6%) after gamma knife surgery, 245/353 (69,4%) after radiofrequency thermocoagulation, and 107/152 (70,4%) after MRI-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy. Hyperphagia/weight gain were the most reported surgical complications. Others were electrolyte alterations, diabetes insipidus, hypotiroidism, transient hyperthermia/poikilothermia. The highest percentage of memory deficits was reported after microsurgery, while hemiparesis and cranial nerves palsy were reported after microsurgery or endoscopic surgery. Thirty studies reported developmental delay/intellectual disability in 424/819 (51,7%) patients. 248/346 patients obtained a global improvement (72%), 70/346 were stable (20%), 28/346 got worse (8%). 22 studies reported psychiatric disorders in 257/465 patients (55,3%). 78/98 patients improved (80%), 13/98 remained stable (13%), 7/98 got worse (7%). Most of the patients had non-structured cognitive/psychiatric assessments. Based on the available data, the surgical management in patients with HH related epilepsy should be individualized, aiming to reach not only the best epilepsy result, but also the optimal cognitive and psychiatric outcome.

Advances in epileptic network findings of hypothalamic hamartomas

Hypothalamic hamartomas (HHs) are congenital developmental malformations located in the hypothalamus. They are associated with a characteristic clinical manifestation known as gelastic seizures (GS). However, the traditional understanding of HHs has been limited, resulting in insufficient treatment options and high recurrence rates of seizures after surgery. This is consistent with the network hypothesis of focal epilepsy that the epileptogenic zone is not only limited to HH but may also involve the distant cerebral cortex external to the HH mass. The epilepsy network theory, on the other hand, provides a new perspective. In this study, we aim to explore HH-related epilepsy as a network disease, challenging the conventional notion of being a focal lesional disease. We analyze various aspects of HHs, including genes and signaling pathways, local circuits, the whole-brain level, phenotypical expression in terms of seizure semiology, and comorbidities. By examining HHs through the lens of network theory, we can enhance our understanding of the condition and potentially identify novel approaches for more effective management and treatment of epilepsy associated with HHs.

Neural network mapping of gelastic behavior in children with hypothalamus hamartoma

BACKGROUND

Hypothalamus hamartomas (HHs) are rare, congenital, tumor-like, and nonprogressive malformations resulting in drug-resistant epilepsy, mainly affecting children. Gelastic seizures (GS) are an early hallmark of epilepsy with HH. The aim of this study was to explore the disease progression and the underlying physiopathological mechanisms of pathological laughter in HH.

METHODS

We obtained clinical information and metabolic images of 56 HH patients and utilized ictal semiology evaluation to stratify the specimens into GS-only, GS-plus, and no-GS subgroups and then applied contrasted trajectories inference (cTI) to calculate the pseudotime value and evaluate GS progression. Ordinal logistic regression was performed to identify neuroimaging-clinical predictors of GS, and then voxelwise lesion network-symptom mapping (LNSM) was applied to explore GS-associated brain regions.

RESULTS

cTI inferred the specific metabolism trajectories of GS progression and revealed increased complexity from GS to other seizure types. This was further validated via actual disease duration (Pearson R = 0.532, P = 0.028). Male sex [odds ratio (OR) = 2.611, P = 0.013], low age at seizure onset (OR = 0.361, P = 0.005), high normalized HH metabolism (OR =  - 1.971, P = 0.037) and severe seizure burden (OR =  - 0.006, P = 0.032) were significant neuroimaging clinical predictors. LNSM revealed that the dysfunctional cortico-subcortico-cerebellar network of GS and the somatosensory cortex (S1) represented a negative correlation.

CONCLUSIONS

This study sheds light on the clinical characteristics and progression of GS in children with HH. We identified distinct subtypes of GS and demonstrated the involvement of specific brain regions at the cortical-subcortical-cerebellar level. These valuable results contribute to our understanding of the neural correlates of GS.

Long term outcome after surgical treatment for hypothalamic hamartoma

PURPOSE

To determine long-term outcome for seizure control and clinical predictors for seizure freedom in patients undergoing surgical treatment for epilepsy associated with hypothalamic hamartoma (HH).

METHODS

155 patients underwent surgical treatment for HHs and treatment-resistant epilepsy at one center (Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA) between February 2003 and June 2010. Data collection included medical record review and direct follow-up interviews to determine seizure outcome. Statistical analysis included descriptive summaries of patient characteristics and time-to-event analysis for seizure freedom.

RESULTS

Long-term survival with follow-up of at least five years since first surgical treatment was available for 108 patients (69.7% of the treatment cohort). The surgical approach for first HH intervention consisted of transventricular endoscopic resection (n = 57; 52.8%), transcallosal interforniceal resection (n = 35; 32.4%), pterional resection (n = 7; 6.5%), and gamma knife radiosurgery (n = 9; 8.3%). Multiple surgical procedures were required for 39 patients (36.1%). There were 10 known deaths from all causes in the treatment cohort (6.5%). Of these, one (0.6%) was related to immediate complications of HH surgery, three (1.9%) were attributed to Sudden Unexpected Death in Epileptic Persons (SUDEP), and one (0.6%) to complications of status epilepticus. For surviving patients with long-term follow-up, 55 (50.9%) were seizure-free for all seizure types. Univariable analysis showed that seizure-freedom was related to 1) absence of a pre-operative history for central precocious puberty (p = 0.01), and 2) higher percentage of HH lesion disconnection after surgery (p = 0.047). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis shows that long-term seizure outcome following HH surgery is comparable to short-term results.

SUMMARY

These uncontrolled observational results show that long-term seizure control following HH surgical treatment is comparable to other forms of epilepsy surgery. Late relapse (at least one year after surgery) and SUDEP do occur, but in a relatively small number of treated patients. These results inform clinical practice and serve as a comparable benchmark for newer technologies for HH surgery, such as magnetic resonance imaging-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy, where long-term outcome results are not yet available.

Epilepsy in hypothalamic hamartomas: semiology spectrum and predictor analyses of 78 patients

OBJECTIVE

To assess seizure semiology and disease evolution in a large number of hypothalamic hamartoma (HH) patients.

METHODS

Seizure semiology and associated medical records for 78 patients with HH-related epilepsy were retrospectively reviewed. Potential predictors of seizure types were assessed through univariate and binary logistic regression analyses.

RESULTS

57 (73.1%) patients presented with gelastic seizures at the onset of epilepsy, of whole 39 (68.4%) experienced additional seizure types with a mean latency interval of 4.59 years. Automatism, version, and sGTCs were increasingly common with disease evolution. The intraventricular size of HH was significantly negatively correlated with the disease evolution interval (r = -0.445, p = 0.009). A significantly higher rate of patients with automatism in the DF-II group relative to the DF-III group was found in both χ2 (X = 6.07, p = 0.014) and logistic regression analyses (B = 3.196, p = 0.020).

INTERPRETATION

Gelastic seizures are the most common initial seizure type in HH patients, but variable semiologies occur with disease evolution. The intraventricular HH lesion size is an important determinant of epilepsy evolution. DF-II HH lesions contribute to a higher chance of automatism evolution. The present study furthers our understanding of the dynamic organization of the seizure network affected by HH.

Anatomical features decide the atypical seizure manifestation of parahypothalamic hamartomas

Background

The intrahypothalamic phenotype of hypothalamic hamartomas (HH) is associated with epilepsy, and the parahypothalamic phenotype usually leads to central precocious puberty but not neurological comorbidities or seizures. No study has confirmed the pathological role of parahypothalamic hamartomas in epileptogenesis, and the underlying mechanism is yet to be elucidated.

Objective

We aimed to investigate whether parahypothalamic hamartomas are intrinsically epileptogenic and elucidate the underlying pathway of epileptogenesis.

Methods

We reviewed 92 patients with HH-related epilepsy, categorized them by the classification system of Delalande and Fohlen, and further classified Type I (corresponding to parahypothalamic HH) into the following three groups based on the relationship between the lesion and mammillary bodies (MB): entirely invaded (Group 1), partially connected (Group 2), and not connected at all (Group 3). We examined different anatomical features with their relationship to clinical manifestations. Stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) was implanted in both HH and extra-HH cortices in different groups to identify the epileptogenic zone. Corticocortical evoked potentials (CCEPs) were also used to determine the pathological correlation among different regions to determine the related epileptogenic network.

Results

A total of 13 patients presented with parahypothalamic HH and 10 (76.9%) presented with non-GS only, with late-onset age and normal cognitive development, which is different from classical clinical features. SEEG showed that HH is intrinsically epileptogenic in MB-involved parahypothalamic groups. No statistical difference was found in onset age (p = 0.213), and lesions horizontally oriented from the tuber cinereum without connection to MB were not involved in seizure genesis. CCEP indicated a pathological connection among HH, middle cingulate cortex, and insular cortex.

Conclusion

The parahypothalamic HH can also cause epilepsy and is different from classic HH-related seizures, by non-GS only with the late-onset age and normal cognitive development. MB is proven to be related to non-GS by the mamillo-cingulate-cortex pathway.

Image-guided LINAC radiosurgery in hypothalamic hamartomas

Introduction

Hypothalamic hamartomas (HH) are developmental malformations that are associated with mild to severe drug-refractory epilepsy. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is an emerging non-invasive option for the treatment of small and medium-sized HH, providing good seizure outcomes without neurological complications. Here, we report our experience treating HH with frameless LINAC SRS.

Materials and methods

We retrospectively collected clinical and neuroradiological data of ten subjects with HH-related epilepsy that underwent frameless image-guided SRS.

Results

All patients underwent single-fraction SRS using a mean prescribed dose of 16.27 Gy (range 16–18 Gy). The median prescription isodose was 79% (range 65–81 Gy). The mean target volume was 0.64 cc (range 0.26–1.16 cc). Eight patients experienced complete or near complete seizure freedom (Engel class I and II). Five patients achieved complete seizure control within 4 to 18 months after the treatment. Four patients achieved Engel class II outcome, with stable results. One patient had a reduction of seizure burden superior to 50% (Engel class III). One patient had no benefit at all (Engel class IV) and refused further treatments. Overall, at the last follow-up, three patients experience class I, five class II, one class III and one class IV outcome. No neurological complications were reported.

Conclusions

Frameless LINAC SRS provides good seizure and long-term neuropsychosocial outcome, without the risks of neurological complications inherently associated with microsurgical resection.

18F-FDG-PET glucose hypometabolism pattern in patients with epileptogenic hypothalamic hamartoma

Epileptogenic hypothalamic hamartoma is characterized by intractable gelastic seizures. A systematic analysis of the overall brain metabolic pattern in patients with hypothalamic hamartoma (HH) could facilitate the understanding of the epileptic brain network and the associated brain damage effects of HH. In this study, we retrospectively evaluated 27 patients with epileptogenic HH (8 female patients; age, 2-33 years) by using ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography. The correlations among tomography result, seizure type, sex, and structural magnetic resonance imaging were assessed. Whole metabolic patterns and voxel-based morphometry findings were assessed by group analysis with healthy controls. Assessment of the whole metabolic pattern in patients with HH revealed several regional metabolic reductions in the cerebrum and an overall metabolic reduction in the cerebellum. In addition, areas showing hypometabolism in the neocortex were more widely distributed ipsilaterally than contralaterally to the HH. Reductions in glucose metabolism and gray matter volume in the neocortex were predominant ipsilateral to the HH. In conclusion, the glucose hypometabolism pattern in patients with epileptogenic HH involved the neocortex, subcortical regions, and cerebellum. The characteristics of glucose hypometabolism differed across seizure type and sex. Reductions in glucose metabolism and structural changes may be based on different mechanisms, but both are likely to occur ipsilateral to the HH in the neocortex. We hypothesized that the dentato-rubro-thalamic tract and cerebro-ponto-cerebellar tract, which are responsible for intercommunication between the cerebral cortex, subcortical regions, and cerebellar regions, may be involved in a pathway related to seizure propagation, particularly gelastic seizures, in patients with HH.

Neuroradiologie für den Augenarzt

Zu den neuroophthalmologischen Erkrankungen gehören Läsionen der Sehbahn einschließlich der Retina und des Sehnervs, Anomalien der Augenstellung und/oder -motilität sowie Pupillenstörungen 1. CT und MRT spielen bei der Diagnosestellung, der Ausbreitung eines Krankheitsprozesses und differenzialdiagnostischen Überlegungen eine herausragende Rolle. Ziel dieses Fortbildungsartikels ist es, dem Augenarzt einen Überblick über diese Untersuchungsverfahren und ihren Einsatz bei für den Augenarzt relevanten Erkrankungen zu geben.

[Neuroradiology for the Ophthalmologist]

Computer tomography (CT) and magnet resonance imaging (MRI) are valuable imaging tools in order to examine various pathologies of the visual pathways. The advantage of CT is its short acquisition time of a few minutes, its availability making it an ideal tool in emergency medicine. It is extremely valuable in patients with cranio-cerebral trauma when an orbital or skull fracture or an intracerebral haemorrhage has to be assessed. In addition, CT-Angiography is used in the management of patients with an acute stroke. CT is mandatory to visualize the orbit in many conditions. The most important disadvantage is its use of ionizing radiation. Thus, CT is contraindicated in pregnant woman. Contrast of soft tissue as brain tissue is inferior compared to MRI. The latter has a high sensitivity in visualizing all kind of brain pathologies including tumours, inflammatory conditions or brain oedema as a result of a stroke. In contrast to CT, MRI (without contrast agent) can be used in pregnant women. The disadvantages of MRI are its long acquisition time, its contraindication in patients with metallic implants including pacemaker and its low resolution of bony tissue. Both imaging tools are often used in a complementary way in many orbital diseases, pathologies affecting bony structures, pathologies with calcifications and in stroke patients.

Hypothalamic Hamartomas: Evolving Understanding and Management

Hypothalamic hamartomas (HH) are rare, basilar developmental lesions with widespread comorbidities often associated with refractory epilepsy and encephalopathy. Imaging advances allow for early, even prenatal, detection. Genetic studies suggest mutations in GLI3 and other patterning genes are involved in HH pathogenesis. About 50%-80% of children with HH have severe rage and aggression and a majority of patients exhibit externalizing disorders. Behavioral disruption and intellectual disability may predate epilepsy. Neuropsychological, sleep, and endocrine disorders are typical. The purpose of this article is to provide a summary of the current understanding of HH and to highlight opportunities for future research.

Stereoelectroencephalography-guided radiofrequency thermocoagulation for hypothalamic hamartoma: Electroclinical patterns and the relationship with surgical prognosis

BACKGROUND

Radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFTC) guided by stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG) has been proved to be a safe method to reduce seizure frequency in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. However, there are few reports addressing the value and safety of this procedure in hypothalamic hamartoma (HH).

OBJECTIVE

To present the results of our experience using SEEG-guided RFTC in HH patients with drug-resistant epilepsy, and identify outcome predictors.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the clinical and surgical characteristics of 27 HH-related patients with epilepsy in our center between 2015 and 2019. All patients underwent invasive recordings with SEEG before RFTC was performed. We reported surgical outcome predictors and postoperative follow-up concerning safety and efficacy (mean follow-up, 27.3 months; range, 12-63). Surgical strategy was also analyzed.

RESULTS

Nineteen patients (70.4%) achieved Engel's class I outcome, while 4 patients (14.8%) did not show significant improvement. Of all observed seizures, two different onset patterns of intracranial electrophysiology recorded by SEEG were observed. Patients presented with focal low-voltage fast activity were more likely to obtain seizure freedom (p = 0.045), while classification (p = 0.478), volume (p = 0.546), history of resection (p = 0.713), seizure types (p = 0.859), or seizure duration (p = 0.415) showed no significant effect on the outcome. Weight gain was the most common long-term complication (18.5%).

CONCLUSION

The SEEG can guide the ablation of HH and serve as an important factor to predict favorable seizure outcomes. Radiofrequency thermocoagulation guided by SEEG can offer a minimally invasive and low-risk surgical approach with excellent outcomes. Disconnecting the attachment of HH should be the appropriate strategy to obtain the best seizure outcome.

Gelastic seizures and the hypothalamic hamartoma syndrome: Epileptogenesis beyond the lesion?

The clinicoradiologic syndrome of hypothalamic hamartoma (HH) manifests with a variety of symptoms, including pharmacoresistant epilepsy with multiple seizure types, precocious puberty, behavioral disturbances, and cognitive impairment. Gelastic seizures are an early marker of epilepsy with HH in most of the cases. Despite a high variability, two major epilepsy phenotypes can be distinguished, based on electroclinical features: (i) focal seizures with epigastric or déjà-vu aura, loss of consciousness, and oroalimentary or gestural automatisms suggestive of temporal lobe involvement; and (ii) motor seizures with tonic, atonic, myoclonic, or versive phenomena, suggesting frontoparietal network involvement, with possible evolution toward an epileptic encephalopathy. The underlying physiopathologic mechanisms are not completely elucidated. The well-known intrinsic epileptogenicity of the HH represents the rationale for direct HH-aiming surgical procedures, with variable success in achieving seizure freedom. The concept of kindling-like secondary epileptogenesis has been suggested as a possible putative mechanism since the very beginnings of the hamartocentric era. Accordingly, a cortical area with enhanced epileptogenic properties due to an independent stage of secondary epileptogenesis would be responsible for seizures persisting after hamartoma ablation. However, recent intracerebral stereotactic EEG (SEEG) explorations demonstrated more complex, both reciprocal and hierarchical, relationships within the hypothalamo-cortical epileptogenic networks. Network formation may be due to either secondary epileptogenesis or widespread epileptogenicity present at the outset. A short time window from epilepsy onset to surgery seems to be crucial to cure epilepsy by direct surgery addressing a hamartoma. SEEG exploration may be reasonably proposed in cases where clinical data suggest an extension of the epileptogenic zone outside the limits of the HH, especially in focal seizures with impaired awareness and absence of gelastic seizures, or after a failure of the direct HH-aiming procedure.

Stereotactic MRI-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy for extratemporal lobe epilepsy

OBJECTIVE

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy (MRg-LITT) is an alternative to open epilepsy surgery. We assess safety and effectiveness of MRg-LITT for extratemporal lobe epilepsy (ETLE) in patients who are considered less favorable for open resection.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed sequential cases of patients with focal ETLE who underwent MRg-LITT between 2012 and 2019. Epileptogenic zones were determined from standard clinical and imaging data ± stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG). Standard stereotactic techniques, MRI thermometry, and a commercial laser thermal therapy system were used for ablations. Anatomic MRI was used to calculate ablation volumes. Clinical outcomes were determined longitudinally.

RESULTS

Thirty-five patients with mean epilepsy duration of 21.3 ± 12.2 years underwent MRg-LITT for focal ETLE at a mean age 36.4 ± 12.7 years. A mean 2.59 ± 1.45 trajectories per patient were used to obtain ablation volumes of 8.8 ± 7.5 cm³ . Mean follow-up was 27.3 ± 19.5 months. Of 32 patients with >12 months of follow-up, 17 (53%) achieved good outcomes (Engel class I + II) of whom 14 (44%) were Engel class I. Subgroup analysis revealed better outcomes for patients with lesional ETLE than for those who were nonlesional, multifocal, or who had failed prior interventions (P = .02). Of 13 patients showing favorable seizure-onset patterns (localized low voltage fast activity or rhythmic spiking on SEEG) prior to ablation, 9 (69%) achieved good outcomes, whereas only 3 of 11 (27%) who show other slower onset patterns achieved good outcomes. Minor adverse events included six patients with transient sensorimotor neurologic deficits and four patients with asymptomatic hemorrhages along the fiber tract. Major adverse events included one patient with a brain abscess that required stereotactic drainage and one patient with persistent hypothalamic obesity. Three deaths-two seizure-associated and one suicide-were unrelated to surgical procedures.

SIGNIFICANCE

MRI-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy (or MRg-LITT) was well-tolerated and yielded good outcomes in a heterogeneous group of ETLE patients. Lesional epilepsy and favorable seizure-onset patterns on SEEG predicted higher likelihoods of success.

Stereotactic radiofrequency thermocoagulation and resective surgery for patients with hypothalamic hamartoma

OBJECTIVE

In this study, the authors compared the efficacy and safety of stereotactic radiofrequency thermocoagulation (SRT) and resective surgery (RS) for patients with hypothalamic hamartoma (HH).

METHODS

The authors included all patients with HHs who were treated by SRT or hamartoma resection. Seizure outcomes were assessed by blinded observers according to the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) classification. Favorable seizure outcomes were defined as ILAE classes 1 and 2, and unfavorable seizure outcomes were defined as ILAE classes 3-6.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine patients who underwent SRT or RS met the inclusion criteria; 3 were excluded because they had completed less than 12 months of follow-up. Most of the patients (20 of 26; 76.9%) had small HHs (i.e., maximum HH diameter less than 20 mm). The patients' follow-up time ranged from 12 to 66 months (median 60 months). At the last follow-up, favorable outcomes were observed in 9 patients (69.2%) who had undergone SRT and 10 patients (76.9%) who had undergone HH resection. No significant difference was found in seizure outcomes between SRT and RS recipients. Patients with giant HHs were more likely than patients with smaller tumors to undergo multiple resections (p = 0.043, univariate logistic regression; significant). However, no significant difference was found between SRT and RS recipients in terms of the number of procedures per patient. SRT recipients had fewer and less-severe adverse events than RS recipients.

CONCLUSIONS

For patients with small HHs, SRT provides similar seizure outcomes to RS with a less invasive procedure. Patients who underwent SRT experienced fewer and lighter adverse effects than patients who had RS. Patients with giant HHs were more likely to undergo multiple HH resections.

Hypothalamic hamartomas in adulthood: Clinical spectrum and treatment outcome-A unicenter experience

INTRODUCTION

Clinical manifestations of the hypothalamic hamartoma-epilepsy syndrome (HH-ES) in adulthood are variable. Efficacy of therapeutic options and outcome are diverse.

METHODS

Retrospective study of adult patients diagnosed with a HH in magnetic resonance imaging and epilepsy who attended our tertiary Epilepsy Unit between 2003 and 2018. We report the clinical and electroencephalographic features of a series of adult patients with HH and related epilepsy seen in our center together with the treatments and seizure outcome.

RESULTS

We describe a series of eight patients. Five males (62.5%), median age at evaluation was 28.5 years (IQR: 15.5). Clinical manifestations included focal with preserved and impaired awareness emotional seizures (gelastic seizures [GS]) in six patients (75%), focal tonic, atonic with impaired awareness and focal to bilateral tonic-clonic seizures. Mild GS were the only symptom in one patient. Three patients (37.5%) had endocrinological disturbances such as obesity and hypothyroidism. Fifty percent of the patients showed psychiatric comorbidity such as anxiety disorder and aggressiveness, and two patients had psychomotor delay. Seven patients (87.7%) had drug-resistant seizures and three of them were treated with radiosurgery. Out of the treated group, only one (33.3%) became seizure-free 2 years after surgery but developed psychiatric problems. The other two patients had an Engel IV outcome and received a vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) implant. VNS did not lead to changes either in intensity nor in seizure frequency.

CONCLUSIONS

Hypothalamic hamartoma-epilepsy syndrome clinical manifestations in adult patients are as variable as at pediatric age. Outcome of therapeutic options such as radiosurgery or VNS may be poorer at this stage.

A rare concurrence: gelastic seizures in a patient with right temporal nongalenic pial arteriovenous fistula

INTRODUCTION

Gelastic seizures are the type of seizures that are most commonly seen in childhood and should be excluded definitely in the differential diagnosis of hypothalamic hamartomas. This seizure type may be accompanied by refractory seizures, cognitive decline, and early puberty. However, etiology may also include other causes different than hypothalamic hamartomas. The seizure may also arise from temporal and frontal region, in addition to hypothalamus. Different clinical findings may be observed based on origin and areas of spread.

CONCLUSIONS

In this article, we report a case of gelastic seizure that has been observed by a different cause other than hypothalamic hamartoma which was reported for the first time in the literature.

Long-term use of methylphenidate in a boy with hypothalamic tumor, drug-resistant epilepsy and ADHD

•

We report the successful treatment of a boy with hypothalamic tumor, gelastic seizures, drug-resistant epilepsy and ADHD

•

The use of methylphenidate significantly reduced symptoms of ADHD while seizure frequency remained unchanged.

CyberKnife® Radiosurgery as First-line Treatment for Catastrophic Epilepsy Caused by Hypothalamic Hamartoma

Hypothalamic hamartomas (HH) are deep-seated lesions often associated with catastrophic epilepsy (an epileptic syndrome characterized by severe, drug-refractory seizures eventually leading to mental retardation and death). Radical microsurgical resection is not feasible for lesions located within the wall of the third ventricle inside the hypothalamus. Frame-based stereotactic radiosurgery has been reported as an effective treatment modality for small- to medium-size intrahypothalamic hamartomas, providing excellent seizure outcomes without lasting complications. This report describes the use of frameless image-guided robotic radiosurgery (CyberKnife® Radiosurgery System) as a first-line treatment in two children with catastrophic epilepsy induced by HH. Both patients experienced multiple-daily complex partial and gelastic seizures, as well as almost daily generalized seizures. The prescribed dose was 16 Gy (to the 65% isodose for case I; to the 70% isodose for case II). Lesional volume was 11.5 cc (case I) and 8.9 cc (case II). A steady reduction of the seizure frequency and severity was achieved after the treatment, starting about three months after the treatment. The generalized seizures disappeared within one year, while complete resolution of the gelastic seizures required up to 18 months. No seizure recurrence and no radiation-induced side effects or complications were witnessed over a follow-up period of ten years and eight months (case I) and nine years and seven months (case II) since the treatment. CyberKnife radiosurgery proved to be a safe and effective non-invasive first-line treatment in these two children with catastrophic epilepsy caused by HH.