Neuroimaging of Epilepsy

This article provides an overview of imaging modalities, important imaging pathologies, and the role each imaging modality can play in the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of epilepsy, including epilepsy surgery.

The Harmonized Neuroimaging of Epilepsy Structural Sequences (HARNESS-MRI) protocol was proposed to standardize MRI imaging for all patients with seizures. The role of 7-Tesla MRI in finding previously occult epileptogenic lesions is under investigation, and the technique is increasingly used. Developing MRI postprocessing techniques can increase the sensitivity of MRI. Improvements in functional imaging techniques such as EEG-functional MRI (fMRI) and magnetic source imaging provide complementary methods of identifying seizure foci. New epileptogenic pathologies such as multinodular and vacuolating neuronal tumors (MVNT) are being discovered, and the importance of others, such as encephaloceles, is better appreciated.

Brain imaging is a critical component of the diagnosis and evaluation of patients with epilepsy. Structural imaging modalities such as MRI and CT allow for the identification of a wide variety of potentially epileptogenic lesions. For patients with drug-resistant epilepsy under consideration for resective surgery, both structural and functional neuroimaging may be needed for focus identification and surgical planning for preservation of neurologic function.