Evaluation of SPECT in the assessment and treatment of intractable childhood epilepsy

The authors retrospectively examined the role of SPECT in 65 children under going video-EEG telemetry. SPECT was concordant in most children whose lesi ons were already localized by MRI and epilepsy syndrome and provided locali zing data in more than half not localized by these modalities. Ictal SPECT provided no additional prognostic benefit in patients undergoing epilepsy s urgery (n = 23) who have a localized MRI lesion. In patients without lesion s, however, ictal SPECT provides useful additional localization that may be used as a guide to intracranial implantation.