Bilateral reductions in hippocampal volume in adults with epilepsy and a history of febrile seizures

OBJECTIVES To examine the degree and frequency of reductions in hippocampal volume in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy with and without a history of febrile seizures. METHODS In vivo measures of hippocampal volume were computed from three dimensional gradient echo (FLASH) images in 44 patients u...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of neurology, neurosurgery and psychiatry neurosurgery and psychiatry, 1997-10, Vol.63 (4), p.461-467
Main Authors: Barr, William B, Ashtari, Manzar, Schaul, Neil
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Age
Biological and medical sciences
Brain research
Chronic Disease
Convulsions & seizures
Electroencephalography
Epilepsy
Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe - diagnosis
febrile seizures
Female
Functional Laterality
Headache. Facial pains. Syncopes. Epilepsia. Intracranial hypertension. Brain oedema. Cerebral palsy
hippocampus
Hippocampus - abnormalities
Hippocampus - pathology
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes)
Neurology
Pathology
Patients
Sclerosis - pathology
Seizures, Febrile - diagnosis
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Summary:OBJECTIVES To examine the degree and frequency of reductions in hippocampal volume in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy with and without a history of febrile seizures. METHODS In vivo measures of hippocampal volume were computed from three dimensional gradient echo (FLASH) images in 44 patients undergoing comprehensive evaluations for epilepsy surgery. Twenty one patients (48%) reported a history of febrile seizures. The volumes from these patients were compared with those from 23 patients without a history of febrile seizures and 34 healthy controls. RESULTS The febrile seizure group had significant reductions in volume, both ipsilateral (30% decrease) and contralateral (15% decrease), to the EEG seizure focus. Twelve of 18 patients with febrile seizures exhibited clinically significant ipsilateral volume reductions, defined as volumes falling 2 SD below the mean obtained from the control sample. Only four of 19 patients without febrile seizures exhibited this degree of reduction. No significant correlations were found between seizure variables (for example, duration of epilepsy, seizure frequency) and ipsilateral reductions in volume. However, a significant inverse correlation (r=−0.45, P
ISSN:0022-3050
1468-330X
DOI:10.1136/jnnp.63.4.461