Abstracts

RATIONALE:_Bipolar coagulation is a new surgical technique for treating seizures that arise from the area of functional cortexes. We explored the mechanism of using low dosage bipolar coagulation on cerebral cortex that is same as multiple subpial transection . METHODS:_Experiments were performed on 3 monkeys. The surface of cerebral motor cortexes were coagulated in the output power rate of 8-12 Unit, at intervals 5mm apart, and duration was 1-seconds. After operation, the activities of behavior, MRI scan of brain, changes of pathology and ultrastructure were analyzed during different period of the post operation. RESULTS:_The diet and activities of daily living were the same as before operation in all monkeys. MRI scan were normal. Pathological features in monkeys' brain indicated that there were coagulation necrosis in superficial layers, acute pyknosis and tissue edema adjacentto the superficial layers. The structure of deep cortex was normal. CONCLUSIONS:_These results suggested that thermal coagulated lesions could produce fiber damage in superficial layers and thus would prevent horizontal synchronization and spread of epileptic discharges.