Long-term seizure freedom following intracranial sEEG monitoring: Therapeutic benefit of a diagnostic technique

Abstract

Patients with treatment-resistant epilepsy often require surgery. It is very rare that patients with TRE can have sustained seizure freedom spontaneously, without undergoing further resection or neuro-modulation after invasive monitoring with sEEG. Of the 78 TRE cases monitored over last 5 years, we identified three patients who became seizure-free following sEEG monitoring without undergoing further resection or neuro-modulation. Seizure-freedom after sEEG is possible even without further intervention. In cases where seizures after the completion of the invasive monitoring are not observed, a longer observation period following electrode explantation prior to planned neuro-modulation or resection is warranted. This could be due to the disruption of the cortical–subcortical epileptogenic network due to focal area of tissue damage along and around the electrode tract. Keywords: Invasive monitoring, Seizure freedom, Cortical–subcortical network