Journal of Pediatric Neurology 2018; 16(02): 072-077
DOI: 10.1055/s-0037-1604215
Review Article
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Update on Focal Cortical Dysplasia and the Imaging of Epilepsy

Judith A. Gadde
1   Department of Radiology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
,
Erin S. Schwartz
1   Department of Radiology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
2   Department of Radiology, The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
3   The Lurie Family Foundations' Magnetoencephalography Imaging Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

01 March 2017

05 June 2017

Publication Date:
20 July 2017 (online)

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Abstract

Epilepsy affects up to 1 in 1,000 children annually. While it is increasingly recognized that forms of epilepsy may have genetic origins, congenital and acquired structural abnormalities of the brain parenchyma are common causes of seizures. Among the most difficult etiologies to diagnose are focal cortical dysplasias, which will be discussed along with their unique imaging features. While magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is the mainstay of epilepsy imaging, magnetoencephalography (MEG) and positon emission tomography (PET) have become increasingly recognized as adding value to the presurgical evaluation of medically refractory epilepsy. More recently, PET/MR hybrid scanning is gaining popularity.