Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36648338›Full record

SynthesisEpilepsia open2023

Cardiac structural and functional abnormalities in epilepsy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Zining Liu, Peravina Thergarajan, Ana Antonic-Baker, Zhibin Chen, Paul B Sparks, Natasha A Lannin, Patrick Kwan, Nigel C Jones, Pablo M Casillas-Espinosa, Piero Perucca and 2 more

Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Epilepsia open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
14citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
6.0field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

14 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 27 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  4. Cardiac impact of epilepsy: a global longitudinal strain-based evaluation.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2026
    Observational
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Zining LiuDepartment of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-5581-9270
Peravina ThergarajanDepartment of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Ana Antonic-BakerDepartment of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Zhibin ChenDepartment of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-1888-6917
Paul B SparksDepartment of Cardiology, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Natasha A LanninDepartment of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Patrick KwanDepartment of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-7310-276X
Nigel C JonesDepartment of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-1080-8439
Pablo M Casillas-EspinosaDepartment of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-6199-9415
Piero PeruccaDepartment of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-7855-7066
Terence J O'BrienDepartment of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Shobi SivathambooDepartment of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
The Royal Melbourne Hospital · AUMonash University · AUAlfred Health · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveEpilepsy is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality. Whether cardiac structure and function are altered in epilepsy remains unclear. To address this, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies evaluating cardiac structure and function in patients with epilepsy.

methodsWe searched the electronic databases MEDLINE, PubMed, COCHRANE, and Web of Science from inception to 31 December 2021. Primary outcomes of interest included left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) for studies reporting echocardiogram findings and cardiac weight and fibrosis for postmortem investigations. Study quality was assessed using the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) assessment tools.

resultsAmong the 10 case-control studies with epilepsy patients (n = 515) and healthy controls (n = 445), LVEF was significantly decreased in epilepsy group compared with controls (MD: -1.80; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -3.56 to -0.04; P = 0.045), whereas A-wave velocity (MD: 4.73; 95% CI: 1.87-7.60; P = 0.001), E/e' ratio (MD: 0.39; 95% CI: 0.06-0.71; P = 0.019), and isovolumic relaxation time (MD: 10.18; 95% CI: 2.05-18.32; P = 0.014) were increased in epilepsy, compared with controls. A pooled analysis was performed in sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) cases with autopsy data (n = 714). Among SUDEP cases, the prevalence of cardiac hypertrophy was 16% (95% CI: 9%-23%); cardiac fibrosis was 20% (95% CI: 15%-26%). We found no marked differences in cardiac hypertrophy, heart weight, or cardiac fibrosis between SUDEP cases and epilepsy controls. SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings suggest that epilepsy is associated with altered diastolic and systolic echocardiogram parameters compared with healthy controls. Notably, SUDEP does not appear to be associated with a higher incidence of structural cardiac abnormalities, compared with non-SUDEP epilepsy controls. Longitudinal studies are needed to understand the prognostic significance of such changes. Echocardiography may be a useful noninvasive diagnostic test in epilepsy population.

Indexed as

EpilepsySudden Unexpected Death in EpilepsyCardiomegalyDeath, SuddenFibrosisHumansRisk FactorsStroke VolumeVentricular Function, LeftcardiacepilepsyseizuresSUDEP

Identifiers

PMID36648338
PMCPMC9977759
OpenAlexW4316927906

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.