title: Neuroimaging for the prediction of response to medical and surgical treatment in epilepsy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Approximately 30% of patients with epilepsy do not respond to adequate medication and are candidates for surgical treatment. Outcome predictors can improve the selection of more suitable treatment options for each patient. Therefore, the authors aimed to review the role of neuroimaging studies in predicting outcomes for both clinical and surgical treatment of epilepsy.
  
  
  METHODS
  This review analyzes studies that investigated different neuroimaging techniques as predictors of clinical and surgical treatment outcome in epilepsy. Studies involving both structural (i.e., T1-weighted images and diffusion tensor images) and functional MRI (fMRI) were identified, as well as other modalities such as spectroscopy, PET, SPECT and MEG. The authors also evaluated the importance of fMRI in predicting memory outcome after surgical resections in temporal lobe epilepsy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The identification of reliable biomarkers to predict response to medical and surgical treatments are much needed in order to provide more adequate patient counseling about prognosis and treatment options individually. Different neuroimaging techniques may provide combined measurements that potentially may become these biomarkers in the near future.
authors.affiliation: University of Campinas/UNICAMP, Department of Neurology, Neuroimaging Laboratory , Cidade Universitária Zeferino Vaz, Rua Tessália Vieira de Camargo, 126. Cx postal 6111, Campinas, SP. CEP 13083-970 , Brazil.
authors.forename: Clarissa Lin
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Yasuda
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cendes