TEMPORAL-LOBE GANGLIOGLIOMA IN REFRACTORY EPILEPSY - CT AND MR IN 3 CASES

MR was abnormal in both patients in which it was performed (including the patient with a normal CT examination). Lesions were hyperintense on T2W inmages and iso-to-hypointense on T1W images when compared to normal parenchyma. Regions of calcification were missed on standard spin-echo sequences. Continuous video EEG monitoring captured habitual partial seizures in all patients; focal onset correlated with tumor location in each instance. Intraoperative electrocorticography corroborated the EEG results. Two of three patients underwent gross total resection. Pathologic features were characteristic of ganglioglioma in all instances. All patients have been seizure-free postoperatively [mean follow-up: 16 months (range 13-18 months)] and without evidence of tumor recurrence. Although ganglioglioma is an unusual cause of refractory temporal lobe epilepsy, our short term follow-up suggests excellent outcome with both partial and gross total resection. © 1990 Kluwer Academic Publishers.