Speech arrest with stimulation may not reliably predict language deficit after epilepsy surgery.
The authors present a patient in whom electrical cortical stimulation of the posterior temporal cortex induced speech arrest, comprehension deficits, and other language-related impairments. This area was ultimately resected because of persistence of a severe seizure disorder. No postoperative aphasia was observed despite the cortical stimulation results, and the patient is since seizure free. These findings question the well-established principle that corticography directly reflects local cortical functions in all patients.
Seeck
M
M
Presurgical Epilepsy Evaluation Unit, Functional Neurology and Neurosurgery Program, University of Geneva, Switzerland. margitta.seeck@hcuge.ch
Pegna
A J
AJ
Ortigue
S
S
Spinelli
L
L
Dessibourg
C A
CA
Delavelle
J
J
Blanke
O
O
Michel
C M
CM
Landis
T
T
Villemure
J-G
JG
D000328:Adult; D002552:Cerebral Ventricles / Q000473:pathology; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000009:adverse effects