title: The Verbal IQ/Performance IQ discrepancy as a sign of seizure focus laterality in pediatric patients with epilepsy.
abstract: A large Verbal IQ (VIQ)/Performance IQ (PIQ) discrepancy has been viewed as a sign of lateralized brain dysfunction. The current study was conducted to determine if the presence of a large VIQ/PIQ discrepancy (15 points) would accurately predict laterality of seizure foci in pediatric patients with epilepsy. A discrepancy score (VIQ-PIQ) was calculated for 130 children (mean age=12.25) undergoing presurgical epilepsy evaluations. Patients were grouped on the basis of language mediation confirmed through the intracarotid amobarbital procedure. Large discrepancies were noted in 34% of the group with typical language and 24% of the children with atypical language organization. When present, this discrepancy accurately lateralized seizure focus for 79% of those with typical and 57% of those with atypical language organization. The presence of the discrepancy was unrelated to seizure control following surgery for the atypical language group. In the typical language group, 85% of children with discrepancies, but only 63% of children without discrepancies, achieved seizure control. Results suggest that the presence of a large discrepancy is not effective, by itself, in lateralizing seizure foci, but may contribute to refining predictions of surgical outcome.
authors.affiliation: St. Louis Children's Hospital, St. Louis, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Lynn B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Blackburn
authors.forename: Gregory P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Westerveld
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hempel
authors.forename: Yong D
authors.initials: YD
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Loring
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000145:classification / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence / Q000502:physiology*; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012640:Seizures / Q000175:diagnosis; D014705:Verbal Behavior / Q000502:physiology*