title: [The role of diffusion tensor imaging in the pre-surgical study of temporal lobe epilepsy].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a non-invasive technique that can be used to assess the integrity of the white matter in the brain.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the usefulness of DTI in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and to observe its relationship with lateralisation of the epileptogenic focus in these patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analysed 11 patients diagnosed with TLE in accordance with the pre-surgical protocol of our epilepsy unit, and who were seizure-free two years after performing a temporal lobectomy plus amygdalohippocampectomy (Spencer technique). As part of their pre-operative study, a 1.5 T magnetic resonance brain scan with diffusion tensor imaging was performed. A voxel-based analysis was then employed to study the differences in connectivity between the hemisphere that underwent surgery and the contralateral hemisphere.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the contralateral hemisphere, a statistically significant reduction in fractional anisotropy (p < 0.05) was observed in the corpus callosum, the cingulate, the superior longitudinal fasciculus, the anterior thalamic radiations, the internal capsule, the ventral lateral and pulvinar nuclei of the thalamus, the inferior frontooccipital fasciculus, the uncinate fasciculus, the inferior longitudinal fasciculus and the parahippocampal gyrus, all ipsilateral to the epileptogenic focus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The characterisation of the abnormalities in the connectivity of the cerebral white matter, by means of DTI in patients with TLE, can be a valuable aid for the lateralisation of the epileptogenic focus in the pre-surgical evaluation of these patients. Further studies with a higher number of patients would be needed to confirm these results.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitario de la Princesa, 28006 Madrid, Espana.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Garcia-Pallero
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitario de la Princesa, 28006 Madrid, Espana.
authors.forename: C V
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitario de la Princesa, 28006 Madrid, Espana.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Manzanares-Soler
authors.affiliation: Institut d'Investigacio Biomedica de Bellvitge-IDIBELL, Hospital de Bellvitge , Hospitalet de Ll., Espana.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Camara
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitario de la Princesa, 28006 Madrid, Espana.
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Sola
mesh_terms: D016880:Anisotropy; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D066127:White Matter / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology