title: Ictal and interictal perfusion variations measured by SISCOM analysis in typical childhood absence seizures.
abstract: Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is currently used in the presurgical evaluation of medically intractable partial epilepsies, but not very often, in generalized epilepsy. In the present study, we used the SISCOM procedure, which represents the fusion of MRI and ictal-interictal difference SPECT images using (99m)Tc-ECD, to study cerebral blood flow changes during the ictal and postictal phases of typical childhood absence seizures. The study was performed on four children with typical, difficult to treat absence seizures, aged 10-13 years at the time of scan. The delay between the onset of absence seizures and the injection of (99m)Tc-ECD was carefully noted. One scan was performed during the ictal phase and showed diffuse blood flow decreases, while the three other scans performed during the postictal phase, showed generalized blood flow increase. These data are consistent with most previous data reporting generalized changes in functional activity, not limited to the thalamo-cortical circuit in which absence seizures originate, and a decrease in cerebral blood flow during the ictal phase. Our data are concordant with the hypothesis that neuronal activity underlying the occurrence of spike-and-wave discharges does not seem to require an increase in metabolic demand and blood flow rates. [Published with videosequences].
authors.affiliation: Inserm U398, Strasbourg, France. nehlig@neurochem.u-strasbg.fr
authors.forename: Astrid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nehlig
authors.forename: Maria-Paola
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Valenti
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thiriaux
authors.forename: Edouard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hirsch
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marescaux
authors.forename: Izzie J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Namer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000187:drug effects; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000098:blood supply / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D003545:Cysteine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000187:drug effects; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004832:Epilepsy, Absence / Q000175:diagnosis; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000098:blood supply / Q000503:physiopathology; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013788:Thalamus / Q000098:blood supply / Q000503:physiopathology; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; C059659:technetium Tc 99m bicisate; D003545:Cysteine