Active clinical trials for "Epilepsies, Partial"

Focal Cortical Dysplasias (FCDs) are neurodevelopmental disorders that represent a major cause of early onset drug-resistant epilepsies with cognitive and behavioral impairments, carrying a lifelong perspective of disability and reduced quality of life. Despite a major medical and socio-economic burden, rationale therapeutic strategies are still under debate. Surgical removal of the epileptogenic brain area (Epileptogenic Zone) is the most successful treatment, yet it fails to control FCD-associated seizures in as much as 40% of cases. Precise definition and complete resection of the Epileptogenic Zone are the main determinants of outcome. In current practice of French centers, up to 80% FCD-patients require an intracranial EEG (icEEG) recording to accurately define the epileptogenic zone. However, the indications for icEEG in MRI-visible FCD remain empirical and are essentially based on expert opinion.

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.