Abstracts

Rationale: Epilepsy is characterized by recurrent seizures. The seizures are categorized as either generalized or partial seizures. Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are used to manage the seizures. NF1 patients have an increased prevalence of epilepsy, which may be difficult to treat. There is very limited data concerning patients with epilepsy and NF1 who underwent epilepsy surgery for seizures. Methods: A literature review was preformed using PubMed, which did not yield pertinent articles. The authors performed a retrospective chart review of 7 Cleveland Clinic (CCF) patients with N.F.-1, known to have had epilepsy surgery.Results: The authors did not find relevant articles from the literature review. The authors did find 7 patients (3 pediatric and 4 adult) with NF1 that had epilepsy surgery. 5 of 7 did not gain complete seizure control from surgery, while 2 patients did. In the 5 patients that did not gain seizure control, the frequency and severity of seizures significantly decreased in 4 patients. Conclusions: The CCF review showed that 2 of 7 patients gained seizure control. Both had temporal lobe epilepsy and their MRIs showed high signal intensities. One patient had a hamartomatous lesion. NF-1 patients may have an increased number of hamartomatous lesions, dysphasias, heterotopias, malformations and migrational abnormalities. A search for such abnormalities in NF-1 patients is currently underway. This small series demonstrates that in NF-1 patients with epilepsy and an operable lesion, as well as in NF-1 patients with uncontrolled seizures, epilepsy surgery should be considered. In addition, further sequential data regarding congenital abnormalities in NF-1 patients using the latest sophisticated techniques should be undertaken.