MRI volumetry and T2 relaxometry of the amygdala in newly diagnosed and chronic temporal lobe epilepsy

Little is known about the appearance and severity of amygdaloid damage in temporal lobe epilepsy, particularly in its early stages. In the present magnetic resonance imaging study, we measured amygdaloid volumes and T2 relaxation times in 29 patients with newly diagnosed and in 54 patients with chro...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Epilepsy research 1997-07, Vol.28 (1), p.39-50
Main Authors: Kälviäinen, Reetta, Salmenperä, Tuuli, Partanen, Kaarina, Pauli Vainio, Riekkinen Sr, Paavo, Pitkänen, Asla
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Amygdala - pathology
Amygdala - physiopathology
Amygdaloid complex
Chronic Disease
Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe - pathology
Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe - physiopathology
Female
Functional Laterality - physiology
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Middle Aged
Neuronal damage
Seizure
T2 relaxation time
Volumetric measurement
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Summary:Little is known about the appearance and severity of amygdaloid damage in temporal lobe epilepsy, particularly in its early stages. In the present magnetic resonance imaging study, we measured amygdaloid volumes and T2 relaxation times in 29 patients with newly diagnosed and in 54 patients with chronic temporal lobe epilepsy. The control population included 25 normal subjects. In the newly diagnosed patients, the mean amygdaloid volume did not differ from that in controls. Also, in the chronic patients the mean amygdaloid volume did not differ from that in controls or in newly diagnosed patients. However, in 19% of the chronic patients the amygdaloid volume was reduced by at least 20%. Moreover, in all of the epilepsy patients, both chronic and newly diagnosed, we found an inverse correlation between the number of epileptic seizures the patient had experienced and the amygdaloid volume on the focal side (focus on the left, r=−0.371, P
ISSN:0920-1211
1872-6844
DOI:10.1016/S0920-1211(97)00029-6