Intracranial EEG versus flumazenil and glucose PET in children with extratemporal lobe epilepsy

Abstract

[11C]flumazenil (FMZ) PET is significantly more sensitive than 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) PET for the detection of cortical regions of seizure onset and frequent spiking in patients with extratemporal lobe epilepsy, whereas both FDG and FMZ PET show low sensitivity in the detection of cortical areas of rapid seizure spread. The application of PET, in particular FMZ PET, in guiding subdural electrode placement in refractory extratemporal lobe epilepsy will enhance coverage of the epileptogenic zone.