Hippocampal atrophy and neurocysticercosis calcifications.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the relationship between hippocampal atrophy (HA), neurocysticercosis calcifications (NC) and seizure semiology in patients with partial epilepsy.


METHODS
We identified two groups of patients: mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) and extra-temporal epilepsy (ETE) patients. Each group was subdivided according to CT findings: normal, NC in the temporal regions, and NC in extra-temporal regions. MRI was obtained in a 2-T scanner and hippocampal volumetry was performed using 3-mm coronal T1-IR images. Hippocampal volumes below 2 standard deviations from the mean of the control group determined the presence of HA.


RESULTS
We studied 89 consecutive patients: 63 with MTLE and 26 with ETE. HA was found in 43/89 (49.5 %) patients, 42 of them with MTLE. There was no difference in frequency of HA in the comparison between patients with (25/50) and without NC (18/39) (chi(2), p=0.71). Furthermore, there was no relationship between localization of NC (temporal or extra-temporal) and seizure semiology (MTLE or ETE).


CONCLUSIONS
HA was more frequent and more severe in patients with MTLE, with no differences regarding the presence and localization of NC. These findings further support the concept that NC on CT not necessarily indicate the etiology of epilepsy and may represent only a co-existent pathology.
da Gama
Cilene Nogueira
CN
University of Campinas, UNICAMP Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
Kobayashi
Eliane
E
Li
Li M
LM
Cendes
Fernando
F
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000473:pathology*; D002648:Child; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020019:Neurocysticercosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed