TY - JOUR
T1 - Risk of seizures during intraoperative electrocortical stimulation of brain motor areas
T2 - A retrospective study on 50 patients
AU - Cordella, Roberto
AU - Acerbi, Francesco
AU - Marras, Carlo Efisio
AU - Carozzi, Carla
AU - Vailati, Davide
AU - Saini, Marco
AU - Tringali, Giovanni
AU - Ferroli, Paolo
AU - Dimeco, Francesco
AU - Franzini, Angelo
AU - Broggi, Giovanni
PY - 2013/1
Y1 - 2013/1
N2 - Tumours close to cerebral cortices involved in motor and language functions represent a major challenge for neurosurgeons. Intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring is useful to gain insight into the anatomy of and the relationship between pathological and normal tissues. In this study we report on the experience of electrocortical stimulation in the surgery of tumours adjacent to the motor cortex in 50 patients under general anaesthesia (26 under propofol, 24 under sevoflurane), and on EMG responses from contralateral muscles. In 18 patients stimulation evoked seizures, which were controlled only with antiepileptic drugs (36%). No difference was found in the incidence of intra-operative seizures between the patients with (10 out of 27) or without (8 out of 23) pre-operative epilepsy (p = 0.8685). The majority of the patients (13 out of 18) with intraoperative seizures were under sevoflurane (p = 0.01) and there was a statistically significant difference in the mean electrical intensity used between the two groups, sevoflurane and propofol, respectively 5.3 ± 1.3 mA and 3.6 ± 2 mA (p = 0.03). Regarding pre-operative anti-epileptic drugs, the use of levitiracetam was associated with a high incidence of intraoperative seizure (5 out of 6 patients). 4 patients developed new, unwanted, permanent neurological deficits, of which 2 had intraoperative seizures controlled only with antiepileptic drugs. Electrocortical stimulation is a powerful tool to understand the functional organization of patients' eloquent areas. Intraoperative epileptic seizures may represent an unwanted complication preventing further stimulation and possibly worsening neurological results. The choice of anaesthetics according to the patients' characteristics, pre-op symptoms and medical therapy is pivotal.
AB - Tumours close to cerebral cortices involved in motor and language functions represent a major challenge for neurosurgeons. Intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring is useful to gain insight into the anatomy of and the relationship between pathological and normal tissues. In this study we report on the experience of electrocortical stimulation in the surgery of tumours adjacent to the motor cortex in 50 patients under general anaesthesia (26 under propofol, 24 under sevoflurane), and on EMG responses from contralateral muscles. In 18 patients stimulation evoked seizures, which were controlled only with antiepileptic drugs (36%). No difference was found in the incidence of intra-operative seizures between the patients with (10 out of 27) or without (8 out of 23) pre-operative epilepsy (p = 0.8685). The majority of the patients (13 out of 18) with intraoperative seizures were under sevoflurane (p = 0.01) and there was a statistically significant difference in the mean electrical intensity used between the two groups, sevoflurane and propofol, respectively 5.3 ± 1.3 mA and 3.6 ± 2 mA (p = 0.03). Regarding pre-operative anti-epileptic drugs, the use of levitiracetam was associated with a high incidence of intraoperative seizure (5 out of 6 patients). 4 patients developed new, unwanted, permanent neurological deficits, of which 2 had intraoperative seizures controlled only with antiepileptic drugs. Electrocortical stimulation is a powerful tool to understand the functional organization of patients' eloquent areas. Intraoperative epileptic seizures may represent an unwanted complication preventing further stimulation and possibly worsening neurological results. The choice of anaesthetics according to the patients' characteristics, pre-op symptoms and medical therapy is pivotal.
KW - Cortical stimulation
KW - Electromyography
KW - Intraoperative monitoring
KW - Motor cortex
KW - Seizures
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U2 - 10.1007/s10072-012-0968-2
DO - 10.1007/s10072-012-0968-2
M3 - Article
C2 - 22350148
AN - SCOPUS:84872686709
SN - 1590-1874
VL - 34
SP - 63
EP - 70
JO - Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology
JF - Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology
IS - 1
ER -