Update on Molecular Imaging in Epilepsy.

Abstract

Epilepsy is one of the commonest neurological disorders worldwide. It is characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures and has significant effects on one's daily life. Though almost two thirds of patients with epilepsy respond well with one or more antiepileptic drugs, about 30% patients suffer with drug resistant epilepsy (DRE). Patients with focal variant of DRE, often have a focal pathology in brain and benefit vastly by removing or disconnecting the foci of origin of epileptiform waves from other parts of the cerebral cortex. While clinical examination, MRI and EEG are the first line investigations done in such patients before surgery, many a times they yield normal or discordant or multiple lesions of which only 1 or 2 are epileptogenic. It is in such cases; molecular imaging such as SPECT and PET helps in accurately demarcating the EZ for planning epilepsy surgery. The functional integrity of the rest of the brain can also be assessed by PET and SPECT, which may also offer valuable insights into the potential pathophysiology of the neurocognitive and behavioral impairments commonly seen in these patients. Epilepsy continues to be a common indication for perfusion SPECT as it is the only imaging method that can visualize the ictal onset zone in vivo. Interictal FDG PET/CT is a single investigation that can provide most information about EZ whereas SPECT has to be done twice-ictal and interictal. The evolution of advanced image analysis techniques like SISCOM, SISCOS, PISCOM and newer receptor-based PET tracers has further refined the localization of the seizure onset zone.