But nowhere has this impact been more profound than in the diagnosis and treatment of intractable epilepsy. This is because many of the brain lesions that are associated with intractable epilepsy show very subtle structural changes even though their functional effects are severe. Research projects are ongoing to assure continued progress in this rapidly changing field. Structural MR Imaging Special expertise in MR imaging is necessary to reliably identify subtle brain lesions that may cause epilepsy.
Hippocampal sclerosis is the most common example of such a process.
It is the most common cause of intractable temporal lobe epilepsy. We utilize specific MR protocols to optimally image the hippocampi of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. This allows us to diagnose surgically treatable temporal lobe epilepsy in a larger number of patients without the need for surgically implanted electrode studies. It is currently used for research purposes only but may be used for clinical applications as they are identified and approved. This test has been very helpful in identifying the area of seizure onset in some patients.