ORCID Profile
0000-0002-3644-2826
Current Organisations
Western University
,
London Health Sciences Centre
,
Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences
,
Lawson Health Research Institute
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Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 08-11-2017
DOI: 10.1017/CJN.2017.244
Abstract: Rationale : Presurgical localization of the epileptogenic focus is critical to successful surgery. Traditionally, localization of the epileptogenic focus depends on seizure semiology, scalp video-electroencephalography (vEEG), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), neuropsychological assessment, and, when needed, intracranial EEG (iEEG). We aimed to explore the role of positron emission tomography (PET) in the presurgical evaluation of patients with refractory epilepsy. Methods : A retrospective review was conducted on patients from London Health Sciences Centre (London, Ontario) with refractory epilepsy who underwent PET from September of 2011 to April of 2016. The accuracy of epileptogenic focus localization was compared between different investigative modalities (MRI, vEEG, iEEG, PET), and the outcomes were documented, including seizure freedom after surgical resection, improvement of seizure frequency, guidance for further investigations, and exclusion of patients from further evaluation. Patients who underwent surgery were followed up at 3 months and onward. Results : We identified 62 patients with refractory epilepsy who underwent PET. The mean age was 34 years (range=20-68). A total of 36 had concordant PET and vEEG findings: 6 had surgical resection and either became seizure-free (29.4%) or had improvement in seizure frequency (5.9%) at 3 months 11 had surgical resection and either became seizure-free (29.4%) or had improvement in seizure frequency (35.3%) at 3 months, but required iEEG for final verification. Conclusions : PET has an important role in presurgical evaluation of patients with refractory epilepsy. It may allow resection of the epileptogenic focus without the need for iEEG, guiding intracranial electrode placement for further localization of the epileptogenic focus, or exclusion of patients from further evaluation.
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 14-03-2023
DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000201671
Abstract: Mood, anxiety disorders, and suicidality are more frequent in people with epilepsy than in the general population. Yet, their prevalence and the types of mood and anxiety disorders associated with suicidality at the time of the epilepsy diagnosis are not established. We sought to answer these questions in patients with newly diagnosed focal epilepsy and to assess their association with suicidal ideation and attempts. The data were derived from the Human Epilepsy Project study. A total of 347 consecutive adults aged 18–60 years with newly diagnosed focal epilepsy were enrolled within 4 months of starting treatment. The types of mood and anxiety disorders were identified with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, whereas suicidal ideation (lifetime, current, active, and passive) and suicidal attempts (lifetime and current) were established with the Columbia Suicidality Severity Rating Scale (CSSRS). Statistical analyses included the t test, χ 2 statistics, and logistic regression analyses. A total of 151 (43.5%) patients had a psychiatric diagnosis 134 (38.6%) met the criteria for a mood and/or anxiety disorder, and 75 (21.6%) reported suicidal ideation with or without attempts. Mood (23.6%) and anxiety (27.4%) disorders had comparable prevalence rates, whereas both disorders occurred together in 43 patients (12.4%). Major depressive disorders (MDDs) had a slightly higher prevalence than bipolar disorders (BPDs) (9.5% vs 6.9%, respectively). Explanatory variables of suicidality included MDD, BPD, panic disorders, and agoraphobia, with BPD and panic disorders being the strongest variables, particularly for active suicidal ideation and suicidal attempts. In patients with newly diagnosed focal epilepsy, the prevalence of mood, anxiety disorders, and suicidality is higher than in the general population and comparable to those of patients with established epilepsy. Their recognition at the time of the initial epilepsy evaluation is of the essence.
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 08-11-2022
DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000201125
Abstract: Identification of an epileptogenic lesion on structural neuroimaging in in iduals with focal epilepsy is important for management and treatment planning. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of MRI-identified potentially epileptogenic structural abnormalities in a large multicenter study of adolescent and adult patients with newly diagnosed focal epilepsy. Patients with a new diagnosis of focal epilepsy enrolled in the Human Epilepsy Project observational cohort study underwent 3 T brain MRI using a standardized protocol. Imaging findings were classified as normal, abnormal, or incidental. Abnormal findings were classified as focal or diffuse and as likely epilepsy-related or of unknown relationship to epilepsy. Fisher exact tests were performed to determine whether abnormal imaging or abnormality type was associated with clinical characteristics. A total of 418 participants were enrolled. Two hundred eighteen participants (59.3%) had no abnormalities detected, 149 (35.6%) had abnormal imaging, and 21 (5.0%) had incidental findings. Seventy-eight participants (18.7%) had abnormalities that were considered epilepsy-related, and 71 (17.0%) had abnormalities of unknown relationship to epilepsy. Older participants were more likely to have imaging abnormalities, while participants with focal and epilepsy-related imaging abnormalities were younger than those without these abnormalities. One hundred thirty-one participants (31.3%) had a family history of epilepsy. Epilepsy-related abnormalities were not associated with participant sex, family history of epilepsy, or seizure type. We found that 1 in 5 patients with newly diagnosed focal epilepsy has an MRI finding that is likely causative and may alter treatment options. An additional 1 in 5 patients has abnormalities of unknown significance. This information is important for patient counseling, prognostication, and management.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-01-2019
DOI: 10.1007/S13365-018-0717-2
Abstract: We present an immunocompetent patient with transverse myelitis (TM) during acute cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, as evidenced by a reactive serum CMV IgM and CMV viremia. The patient had an excellent outcome after receiving only high-dose methylprednisolone. Given concerns that practitioners may have around the use of immunosuppressive therapy for this potentially infectious myelopathy, we systematically reviewed the literature to assess outcomes after administration of high-dose corticosteroids to this population. Despite severe disease at clinical nadir with inability to ambulate, immunocompetent patients with acute CMV-associated TM who received high-dose corticosteroids had good clinical outcomes 1 month to 1 year after presentation.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 08-06-2018
DOI: 10.1017/CJN.2018.29
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 12-2021
DOI: 10.1136/BMJNO-2021-000218
Abstract: The Vagus Nerve Stimulation Therapy System (VNS Therapy) is an adjunctive neuromodulatory therapy that can be efficacious in reducing the frequency and severity of seizures in people with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). CORE-VNS aims to examine the long-term safety and clinical outcomes of VNS in people with DRE. The CORE-VNS study is an international, multicentre, prospective, observational, all-comers, post-market registry. People with DRE receiving VNS Therapy for the first time as well as people being reimplanted with VNS Therapy are eligible. Participants have a baseline visit (prior to device implant). They will be followed for a minimum of 36 months and a maximum of 60 months after implant. Analysis endpoints include seizure frequency (average number of events per month), seizure severity (in idual-rated categorical outcome including very mild, mild, moderate, severe or very severe) as well as non-seizure outcomes such as adverse events, use of antiseizure medications, use of other non-pharmacological therapies, quality of life, validated measures of quality of sleep (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index or Children’s Sleep Habit Questionnaire) and healthcare resource utilisation. While the CORE-VNS registry was not expressly designed to test hypotheses, subgroup analyses and exploratory analysis that require hypothesis testing will be conducted across propensity score matched treatment groups, where possible based on s ling. The CORE-VNS registry has already enrolled 823 participants from 61 centres across 15 countries. Once complete, CORE-VNS will represent one of the largest real-world clinical data sets to allow a more comprehensive understanding of the management of DRE with adjunctive VNS. Manuscripts derived from this database will shed important new light on the characteristics of people receiving VNS Therapy the practical use of VNS across different countries, and factors influencing long-term response. NCT03529045 .
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 17-07-2022
DOI: 10.1111/EPI.17350
Abstract: Epilepsy surgery is the treatment of choice for patients with drug‐resistant seizures. A timely evaluation for surgical candidacy can be life‐saving for patients who are identified as appropriate surgical candidates, and may also enhance the care of nonsurgical candidates through improvement in diagnosis, optimization of therapy, and treatment of comorbidities. Yet, referral for surgical evaluations is often delayed while palliative options are pursued, with significant adverse consequences due to increased morbidity and mortality associated with intractable epilepsy. The Surgical Therapies Commission of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) sought to address these clinical gaps and clarify when to initiate a surgical evaluation. We conducted a Delphi consensus process with 61 epileptologists, epilepsy neurosurgeons, neurologists, neuropsychiatrists, and neuropsychologists with a median of 22 years in practice, from 28 countries in all six ILAE world regions. After three rounds of Delphi surveys, evaluating 51 unique scenarios, we reached the following Expert Consensus Recommendations: (1) Referral for a surgical evaluation should be offered to every patient with drug‐resistant epilepsy (up to 70 years of age), as soon as drug resistance is ascertained, regardless of epilepsy duration, sex, socioeconomic status, seizure type, epilepsy type (including epileptic encephalopathies), localization, and comorbidities (including severe psychiatric comorbidity like psychogenic nonepileptic seizures [PNES] or substance abuse) if patients are cooperative with management (2) A surgical referral should be considered for older patients with drug‐resistant epilepsy who have no surgical contraindication, and for patients (adults and children) who are seizure‐free on 1–2 antiseizure medications (ASMs) but have a brain lesion in noneloquent cortex and (3) referral for surgery should not be offered to patients with active substance abuse who are noncooperative with management. We present the Delphi consensus results leading up to these Expert Consensus Recommendations and discuss the data supporting our conclusions. High level evidence will be required to permit creation of clinical practice guidelines.
Location: United States of America
No related grants have been discovered for jorge burneo.