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Updated: May 8, 2026
A Multimodal Imaging- and Stimulation-based Method of Evaluating Connectivity-related Brain Excitability in Patients with Epilepsy
Published on: November 13, 2016
3 TESLA MR imaging in adults with focal onset epilepsy
Manuel Toledo1, Silvana Sarria-Estrada, Manuel Quintana
1Epilepsy Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Passeig Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain.
Objective:
The finding of cerebral epileptogenic lesions in magnetic resonance (MR) has demonstrated to be a relevant prognostic factor for potential surgical candidates. In a series of consecutive adults with focal onset epilepsy, we investigated the yield of 3T MR imaging for detecting epileptogenic cerebral lesions.
Materials And Methods:
We prospectively recruited 161 adult patients with a diagnosis of focal epilepsy, all of whom underwent standardized MR imaging study performed with a 3T magnet.
Results:
Lesion-related epilepsy was observed in 48% of patients, and 12% of cryptogenic patients showed subtle or non-specific lesions related to the epileptogenic source. The most common findings were focal cortical dysplasia and vascular lesions, followed by mesial temporal sclerosis, tumors, and scars from previous cerebral injuries. Patients older than 72 years were more likely to have vascular epilepsy.
Conclusions:
Diagnostic assessment using a standardized 3T MR imaging protocol for focal-onset epilepsy detects lesions in nearly half the patients. Our results indicate that elders with focal epilepsy should be searched for vascular lesions.
