National Study on the Interest of EEG-fMRI in the Presurgical Evaluation of Partial Epilepsies Drug

National Study on the Interest of EEG-fMRI in the Presurgical Evaluation of Partial Epilepsies Drug

The main goal of this study is to evaluate the additional value of EEG-fMRI method in the presurgical evaluation of focal intractable epilepsy.

To consider a patient for surgery, the main difficulty is to define accurately the epileptogenic zone. This definition is complex and is often supported by several types of exploration (MRI, FDG PET, neuropsychological testing, video-EEG...). In this study we will evaluate the adding value of the simultaneous recording of EEG and fMRI in the epileptogenic zone definition.

Inclusion Criteria:

• > 8 years old
• intractable focal epilepsy
• presurgical evaluation or "phase 1" planified
• with focal EEG activity : more than 3 EEG interictal epileptic events per hour
• patient and/or legal representant given their written consent for their participation in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

• MRI contraindication
• pregnancy
• uncomfortable prolonged lying position
• frequent primary or secondary generalised seizure with tonic clonic movements (>2 per week)
• previous epilepsy surgery
• important mental retardation