Journal
EPILEPSIA
Volume 49, Issue 9, Pages 1562-1569Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/j.1528-1167.2008.01679.x
Keywords
mesial temporal lobe epilepsy; simple febrile convulsions; hippocampal sclerosis; gender differences; MRI volumetry
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Funding
- Hungarian Neuroimaging Foundation
- Hungarian Medical Research Council [ETT 219/2006, ETT 176/2006]
- Hungarian Research Fund [OTKA-NKTH F68720]
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Background: It is unclear whether the hippocampal abnormality in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is a consequence or the cause of afebrile or febrile seizures (FSs). We investigated whether hippocampal abnormalities are present in healthy adults > 15 years after a simple FS. Methods: Eight healthy subjects (S men) with a history of simple FS (FS+ group) and eight sex- and aged-matched control subjects (FS- group) were investigated by three MR methods: blinded visual inspection of the MRI pictures; automatic voxel-based volumetry; and T2 relaxation time measurements. Results: The mean total volume of the two hippocampi was 5.36 +/- 1.33 cm(3) in the FS+ group and 6.63 +/- 1.46 cm(3) in the FS- group (p = 0.069). The T2 values in the anterior part of the left hippocampus (p = 0.036) and in the middle part of the right hippocampus (p = 0.025) were elevated in the FS+ subjects. The mean volume of the right hippocampus was 3.05 +/- 0.8 cm(3) in the FS+ men and 4.05 +/- 0.48 cm(3) in the FS- men (p = 0.043). The mean total volume of the two hippocampi was 5.38 +/- 1.4 cm(3) in the FS+ men and 7.48 +/- 1.14 cm(3) in the FS- men (p = 0.043). There were three FS+ men in whom hippocampal abnormalities including hippocampal sclerosis (HS) and dysgenesis were observed on visual inspection. Conclusions: A history of simple FS in childhood can be associated with hippocampal abnormalities in adults. These abnormalities are probably more pronounced in men. Simple FS may not be as a benign event as previously thought. Our findings suggest that hippocampal abnormalities associated with FS are not necessarily epileptogenic.
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