AN INTRAARTERIAL ELECTRODE FOR INTRACRANIAL ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAM RECORDINGS

A new method for intracranial monitoring of brain electrical activity by means of an intra-arterial guide wire as electrode is described. We carried out intracranial electro-encephalography (EEG) using an insul ated Seeker Lite-10 guide wire 18 times in 14 patients: ten times in 6 patients with cerebral arteriovenous malformation (AVM) before emboli zation, and another 8 times in 8 patients with epilepsy. In all cases, a 2-5 times stronger high voltage potential EEG compared with scalp E EG could be recorded. In 3 patients with complex partial epilepsy, int ra-arterial (IA) EEG was recorded under subdural strip electrode monit oring, and IAEEG at the sphenoidal portion of the middle cerebral arte ry was compared with subdural electrode recordings. Frequent intericta l spike discharges recorded with subdural electrodes in the lesional m edial temporal lobe were simultaneously visible on IAEEG recording. Th is method is equivalent to that using a semi-invasive electrode, but E CoG recording can be performed at angiography. IAEEG is a method of el ectrode recording that has the possibility of clinical application.