Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria (Jan 2003)

Corpora amylacea in temporal lobe epilepsy associated with hippocampal sclerosis

  • Ribeiro Marlise de Castro,
  • Barbosa-Coutinho Lígia,
  • Mugnol Fabiana,
  • Hilbig Arlete,
  • Palmini André,
  • Costa Jaderson Costa da,
  • Paglioli Neto Eliseu,
  • Paglioli Eduardo

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 61, no. 4
pp. 942 – 945

Abstract

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Hippocampal sclerosis (HS) is the commonest pathology in epileptic patients undergoing temporal lobe epilepsy surgery. Beside, there are an increased density of corpora amylacea (CA) founded in 6 to 63% of those cases. OBJECTIVE: verify the presence of CA and the clinical correlates of their occurrence in a consective series of patients undergoing temporal surgery with diagnosis of HS. METHOD: We reviewed 72 hippocampus specimens from January 1997 to July 2000. Student's t test for independent, samples, ANOVA and Tukey test were performed for statistical analysis. RESULTS: CA were found in 35 patients (49%), whose mean epilepsy duration (28.7 years) was significantly longer than that group of patients without CA (19.5 years, p= 0.001). Besides, when CA were found, duration was also significantly correlated with distribution within hippocampus: 28.7 years with diffuse distribution of CA, 15.4 with exclusively subpial and 17.4 years with distribution subpial plus perivascular (p= 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our findings corroborate the presence of CA in patients with HS and suggest that a longer duration of epilepsy correlate with a more distribution of CA in hippocampus.

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