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Takahashi YK, Baba S, Kawashima T, Tachimori H, Iijima K, Kimura Y, Saito T, Nakagawa E, Komaki H, Iwasaki M. Treatment odyssey to epilepsy surgery in children with focal cortical dysplasia: Risk factors for delayed surgical intervention. Seizure 2024; 120:5-11. [PMID: 38880019 DOI: 10.1016/j.seizure.2024.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2024] [Revised: 06/02/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To elucidate the patient's journey to epilepsy surgery and identify the risk factors contributing to surgical delay in pediatric patients with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) due to focal cortical dysplasia (FCD). METHODS A retrospective review was conducted of 93 pediatric patients who underwent curative epilepsy surgery for FCD between January 2012 and March 2023 at a tertiary epilepsy center. The Odyssey plot demonstrated the treatment process before epilepsy surgery, including key milestones of epilepsy onset, first hospital visit, epilepsy diagnosis, MRI diagnosis, DRE diagnosis, and surgery. The primary outcome was surgical delay; the duration from DRE to surgery. Multivariate linear regression models were used to examine the association between surgical delay and clinical, investigative, and treatment characteristics. RESULTS The median age at seizure onset was 1.3 years (interquartile range [IQR] 0.14-3.1), and at the time of surgery, it was 6 years (range 1-11). Notably, 46% experienced surgical delays exceeding two years. The Odyssey plot visually highlighted that surgical delay comprised a significant portion of the patient journey. Although most patients underwent MRI before referral, MRI abnormalities were identified before referral only in 39% of the prolonged group, compared to 70% of the non-prolonged group. Multivariate analyses showed that delayed notification of MRI abnormalities, longer duration from epilepsy onset to DRE, older age at onset, number of antiseizure medications tried, and moderate to severe intellectual disability were significantly associated with prolonged surgical delay. CONCLUSION Pediatric DRE patients with FCD experienced a long journey until surgery. Early and accurate identification of MRI abnormalities is important to minimize surgical delays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoko Kobayashi Takahashi
- Department of Child Neurology, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Japan
| | - Shimpei Baba
- Department of Child Neurology, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Japan
| | - Takahiro Kawashima
- Department of Information Medicine, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, National Institute of Neuroscience, Kodaira, Japan
| | - Hisateru Tachimori
- Department of Information Medicine, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, National Institute of Neuroscience, Kodaira, Japan
| | - Keiya Iijima
- Department of Neurosurgery, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Japan
| | - Yuiko Kimura
- Department of Neurosurgery, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Japan
| | - Takashi Saito
- Department of Child Neurology, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Japan
| | - Eiji Nakagawa
- Department of Child Neurology, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Japan
| | - Hirofumi Komaki
- Department of Child Neurology, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Japan
| | - Masaki Iwasaki
- Department of Neurosurgery, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Japan.
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Van Winssen C, Andrade AV, Andrade DM, Burneo JG, de Ribaupierre S, Donner E, Hassan A, Ibrahim G, Jones KC, Lomax LB, Muir K, Nouri MN, Porter N, Ramachandrannair R, Raymond P, Rutka J, Shapiro MJ, Steven DA, Swain D, Valiante T, Whiting S, Whitney R, Yau I, Fantaneanu TA. Evaluating the Current State of Epilepsy Care in the Province of Ontario. Can J Neurol Sci 2024:1-3. [PMID: 38425209 DOI: 10.1017/cjn.2024.30] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
There are numerous challenges pertaining to epilepsy care across Ontario, including Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) bed pressures, surgical access and community supports. We sampled the current clinical, community and operational state of Ontario epilepsy centres and community epilepsy agencies post COVID-19 pandemic. A 44-item survey was distributed to all 11 district and regional adult and paediatric Ontario epilepsy centres. Qualitative responses were collected from community epilepsy agencies. Results revealed ongoing gaps in epilepsy care across Ontario, with EMU bed pressures and labour shortages being limiting factors. A clinical network advising the Ontario Ministry of Health will improve access to epilepsy care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Van Winssen
- Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa & The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Andrea V Andrade
- Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Danielle M Andrade
- Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jorge G Burneo
- Division of Neurology, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Sandrine de Ribaupierre
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Elizabeth Donner
- Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Hospital for Sick Children & University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Ayman Hassan
- Division of Neurology, Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Thunder Bay, ON, Canada
| | - George Ibrahim
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Pediatrics, Hospital for Sick Children & University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Kevin C Jones
- Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, McMaster Children's Hospital, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Lysa Boissé Lomax
- Department of Medicine, Queen's University & Kingston Health Sciences Centre, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Katherine Muir
- Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Maryam N Nouri
- Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | | | - Rajesh Ramachandrannair
- Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, McMaster Children's Hospital, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | | | - James Rutka
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Pediatrics, Hospital for Sick Children & University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Michelle J Shapiro
- Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - David A Steven
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Darryl Swain
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Taufik Valiante
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Sharon Whiting
- Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Robyn Whitney
- Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, McMaster Children's Hospital, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Ivanna Yau
- Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Hospital for Sick Children & University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Tadeu A Fantaneanu
- Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa & The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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Feria-Romero IA, Reyes-Cuayahuitl A, Sosa-Maldonado J, Montes-Aparicio AV, Rayo-Mares D, Pérez-Pérez D, Grijalva-Otero I, Orozco-Suarez S. Study of genetic variants and their clinical significance in Mexican pediatric patients with epilepsy. Gene 2023:147565. [PMID: 37315635 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2023.147565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The use of novel and accurate techniques to identify genetic variants (with or without a record in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database) improves diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutics for patients with epilepsy, especially in populations for whom such techniques exist. The aim of this study was to find a genetic profile in Mexican pediatric epilepsy patients by focusing on ten genes associated with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). METHODS This was a prospective, analytical, cross-sectional study of pediatric patients with epilepsy. Informed consent was granted by the patients' guardians or parents. Genomic DNA from the patients was sequenced using next-generation sequencing (NGS). For statistical analysis, Fisher's exact, Chi-square or Mann-Whitney U, and OR (95% CI) tests were performed, with significance values of p<0.05. RESULTS Fifty-five patients met the inclusion criteria (female 58.2%, ages 1-16 years); 32 patients had controlled epilepsy (CTR), and 23 had DRE. Four hundred twenty-two genetic variants were identified (71.3% with a known SNP registered in the NCBI database). A dominant genetic profile consisting of four haplotypes of the SCN1A, CYP2C9, and CYP2C19 genes was identified in most of the patients studied. When comparing the results between patients with DRE and CTR, the prevalence of polymorphisms in the SCN1A (rs10497275, rs10198801, and rs67636132), CYP2D6 (rs1065852), and CYP3A4 (rs2242480) genes showed statistical significance (p = 0.021). Finally, the number of missense genetic variants in patients in the nonstructural subgroup was significantly higher in DRE than in CTR (1 [0-2] vs. 3 [2-4]; p=0.014). CONCLUSIONS The Mexican pediatric epilepsy patients included in this cohort presented a characteristic genetic profile infrequent in the Mexican population. SNP rs1065852 (CYP2D6*10) is associated with DRE, especially with nonstructural damage. The presence of three genetic alterations affecting the CYP2B6, CYP2C9, and CYP2D6 cytochrome genes is associated with nonstructural DRE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris A Feria-Romero
- Unidad de Investigación Médica en Enfermedades Neurológicas, Hospital de Especialidades, "Dr. Bernardo Sepúlveda", Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Aracely Reyes-Cuayahuitl
- Servicio de Neurología Pediátrica, Hospital de Pediatría, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Ciudad de México, México
| | | | - Alexia V Montes-Aparicio
- Programa de Maestría, Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Darío Rayo-Mares
- Servicio de Neurología Pediátrica, Hospital de Pediatría, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Daniel Pérez-Pérez
- Institute of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
| | - Israel Grijalva-Otero
- Unidad de Investigación Médica en Enfermedades Neurológicas, Hospital de Especialidades, "Dr. Bernardo Sepúlveda", Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Sandra Orozco-Suarez
- Servicio de Neurología Pediátrica, Hospital de Pediatría, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Ciudad de México, México.
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Disparities in pediatric drug-resistant epilepsy care. Childs Nerv Syst 2023; 39:1611-1617. [PMID: 36797496 DOI: 10.1007/s00381-023-05854-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Epilepsy affects millions of children worldwide, with 20-40% experiencing drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) who are recommended for epilepsy surgery evaluation and may benefit from surgical management. However, many patients live with DRE for multiple years prior to surgical epilepsy referral or treatment or are never referred at all. OBJECTIVE We aimed to describe factors associated with referral for epilepsy surgery in the USA, in order to identify disparities in DRE, characterize why they may exist, and recognize areas for improvement. METHODS Pediatric patients diagnosed with DRE between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2020 were identified from the Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) Database. Patients treated with antiseizure medications (ASMs) only, ASMs plus vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), and ASMs plus cranial epilepsy surgery were studied regarding access to epilepsy surgery and disparities in care. This study used chi-square tests to determine associations between treatment time and preoperative factors. Preoperative factors studied included epilepsy treatment type, age, sex, race/ethnicity, insurance type, geographic region, patient type, epilepsy type, and presence of pediatric complex chronic conditions (PCCCs). RESULTS A total of 18,292 patients were identified; 10,240 treated with ASMs, 5019 treated with ASMs + VNS, and 3033 treated with ASMs + cranial epilepsy surgery. Sex was not found to significantly vary among groups. There was significant variation in age, census region, race/ethnicity, patient type, presence of PCCCs, diagnosis, and insurance (p < 0.001). Those treated surgically, either with VNS or cranial epilepsy surgery, were 2 years older than those medically treated. Additionally, those medically treated were less likely to be living in the Midwest (25.46%), identified as non-Hispanic white (51.78%), have a focal/partial epilepsy diagnosis (8.74%), and be privately insured (35.82%). CONCLUSIONS We studied a large administrative US database examining variables associated with surgical epilepsy evaluation and management. We found significant variation in treatment associated with age, US census region, race/ethnicity, patient type, presence of PCCCs, diagnosis, and health insurance type. We believe that these disparities in care are related to access and social determinants of health, and we encourage focused outreach strategies to mitigate these disparities to broaden access and improve outcomes in children in the USA with DRE.
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Samanta D, Singh R, Gedela S, Scott Perry M, Arya R. Underutilization of epilepsy surgery: Part II: Strategies to overcome barriers. Epilepsy Behav 2021; 117:107853. [PMID: 33678576 PMCID: PMC8035223 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2021.107853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Revised: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Interventions focused on utilization of epilepsy surgery can be divided into groups: those that improve patients' access to surgical evaluation and those that facilitate completion of the surgical evaluation and treatment. Educational intervention, technological innovation, and effective coordination and communication can significantly improve patients' access to surgery. Patient and public facing, individualized (analog and/or digital) communication can raise awareness and acceptance of epilepsy surgery. Educational interventions aimed at providers may mitigate knowledge gaps using practical and concise consensus statements and guidelines, while specific training can improve awareness around implicit bias. Innovative technology, such as clinical decision-making toolkits within the electronic medical record (EMR), machine learning techniques, online decision-support tools, nomograms, and scoring algorithms can facilitate timely identification of appropriate candidates for epilepsy surgery with individualized guidance regarding referral appropriateness, postoperative seizure freedom rate, and risks of complication after surgery. There are specific strategies applicable for epilepsy centers' success: building a multidisciplinary setup, maintaining/tracking volume and complexity of cases, collaborating with other centers, improving surgical outcome with reduced complications, utilizing advanced diagnostics tools, and considering minimally invasive surgical techniques. Established centers may use other strategies, such as multi-stage procedures for multifocal epilepsy, advanced functional mapping with tailored surgery for epilepsy involving the eloquent cortex, and generation of fresh hypotheses in cases of surgical failure. Finally, improved access to epilepsy surgery can be accomplished with policy changes (e.g., anti-discrimination policy, exemption in transportation cost, telehealth reimbursement policy, patient-centered epilepsy care models, pay-per-performance models, affordability and access to insurance, and increased funding for research). Every intervention should receive regular evaluation and feedback-driven modification to ensure appropriate utilization of epilepsy surgery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debopam Samanta
- Neurology Division, Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, United States.
| | - Rani Singh
- Department of Pediatrics, Atrium Health/Levine Children's Hospital, United States
| | - Satyanarayana Gedela
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University College of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States; Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, United States
| | - M Scott Perry
- Cook Children's Medical Center, Fort Worth, TX, United States
| | - Ravindra Arya
- Division of Neurology, Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
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