ILAE neuroimaging task force highlight: The utility of multimodal neuroimaging in diagnostic and presurgical workup of drug-resistant focal epilepsy

Authors

• Niccolò Biagioli, Neurophysiology Unit and Epilepsy Centre, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
• Maksim Parfyonov, Epilepsy Center, Neurological Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
• Stefano Meletti, Neurophysiology Unit and Epilepsy Centre, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
• Giacomo Pavesi, Neurosurgery Unit, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
• John Archer, Department Medicine, Austin Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
• Boris C. Bernhardt, Multimodal Imaging and Connectome Analysis Laboratory, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal, Canada.
• Lorenzo Caciagli, Department of Neurology, Inselspital, Sleep-Wake-Epilepsy-Center, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
• Fernando Cendes, Department of Neurology, University of Campinas - UNICAMP, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
• Yotin Chinvarun, Epilepsy Center, Neurology Unit, Phramongkutklao Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand.
• Luis Concha, Institute of Neurobiology, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico.
• Paolo Federico, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
• William D. Gaillard, Center for Neuroscience, Children's National Hospital, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
• Eliane Kobayashi, Department of Neurology, Southwestern Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, University of Texas, Dallas, Texas, USA.
• Godwin Ogbole, Department of Radiology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
• Stefan Rampp, Department of Neurosurgery and Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
• Shuang Wang, Department of Neurology and Epilepsy Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
• Gavin P. Winston, Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada.
• Irene Wang, Epilepsy Center, Neurological Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
• Anna Elisabetta Vaudano, Neurophysiology Unit and Epilepsy Centre, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

3-11-2025

Journal

Epileptic disorders : international epilepsy journal with videotape

DOI

10.1002/epd2.70016

Keywords

MRI post‐processing; MRI‐negative; multimodal; nonlesional; presurgical evaluation

Abstract

The ILAE Neuroimaging Task Force publishes educational case reports that highlight basic aspects of neuroimaging in epilepsy, consistent with ILAE's educational mission. In patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy who are candidates for surgical intervention, the identification of structural abnormalities is a strong predictor of favorable postoperative seizure outcomes. When conventional imaging is insufficient, the integration of multimodal neuroimaging data with structural, metabolic, and functional imaging modalities is often helpful. The following two illustrative cases from two different centers highlight the challenges and needs to integrate the information from multiple imaging modalities for a more accurate diagnosis and resection planning of drug-resistant focal epilepsies. This approach can increase the number of patients eligible for surgery while minimizing the risk of postoperative deficits.

APA Citation

Biagioli, Niccolò; Parfyonov, Maksim; Meletti, Stefano; Pavesi, Giacomo; Archer, John; Bernhardt, Boris C.; Caciagli, Lorenzo; Cendes, Fernando; Chinvarun, Yotin; Concha, Luis; Federico, Paolo; Gaillard, William D.; Kobayashi, Eliane; Ogbole, Godwin; Rampp, Stefan; Wang, Shuang; Winston, Gavin P.; Wang, Irene; and Vaudano, Anna Elisabetta, "ILAE neuroimaging task force highlight: The utility of multimodal neuroimaging in diagnostic and presurgical workup of drug-resistant focal epilepsy" (2025). GW Authored Works. Paper 6833.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/6833

Department

Neurology