Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40630192›Full record

ArticleBrain communications2025

Diagnostic accuracy of T2-hypointensity in determining the epileptogenic lesion on unmyelinated brain MRI in infants with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC).

Matyas Ebel, Carmen H Stevering, Zuzana Holubova, Maarten H Lequin, Martin Kyncl, Barbora Straka, Hanna M Hulshof, Alena Jahodova, Martin Kudr, Kees P J Braun and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Brain communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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.

Matyas EbelDepartment of Paediatric Neurology, Motol Epilepsy Center, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, Prague 150 06, Czech Republic.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4795-152X
Carmen H SteveringDepartment of Paediatric Neurology, University Medical Center Utrecht Brain Center, PO Box 85090 AB 3508, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Zuzana HolubovaDepartment of Radiology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, Prague 150 06, Czech Republic.
Maarten H LequinDepartment of Radiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht CX 3584, The Netherlands.
Martin KynclDepartment of Radiology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, Prague 150 06, Czech Republic.
Barbora StrakaDepartment of Radiology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, Prague 150 06, Czech Republic.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8448-2833
Hanna M HulshofDepartment of Paediatric Neurology, University Medical Center Utrecht Brain Center, PO Box 85090 AB 3508, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Alena JahodovaDepartment of Paediatric Neurology, Motol Epilepsy Center, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, Prague 150 06, Czech Republic.
Martin KudrDepartment of Paediatric Neurology, Motol Epilepsy Center, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, Prague 150 06, Czech Republic.
Kees P J BraunDepartment of Paediatric Neurology, University Medical Center Utrecht Brain Center, PO Box 85090 AB 3508, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Floor E JansenDepartment of Paediatric Neurology, University Medical Center Utrecht Brain Center, PO Box 85090 AB 3508, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Pavel KrsekDepartment of Paediatric Neurology, Motol Epilepsy Center, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, Prague 150 06, Czech Republic.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Identification of the epileptogenic lesion is challenging in tuberous sclerosis complex as multiple lesions might represent the seizure onset zone. A combination of dysplastic MRI features has diagnostic value in pre-surgical evaluation. However, these radiological characteristics may be difficult to identify and have not been studied on early unmyelinated brain MRI in tuberous sclerosis complex infants. Our study aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of T2-hypointense lesions on unmyelinated MRI in identifying the epileptogenic lesion. We included children with tuberous sclerosis complex who underwent resective or disconnective epilepsy surgery in the Motol University Hospital Prague and the University Medical Center Utrecht with available (i) unmyelinated MRI (before the age of 9 months), (ii) pre- and post-operative brain MRI and (iii) at least 2 years follow-up post-surgery. We identified T2-hypointense lesions and highly dysplastic lesions on unmyelinated or myelinated MRI, assessing their diagnostic accuracy in epileptogenic lesion identification by comparing seizure free to non-seizure free patients. Twenty-seven patients met inclusion criteria. We identified 54 T2-hypointense lesions in 24 patients, 30 were already highly dysplastic on unmyelinated MRI, showing cortical thickening and transmantle sign in most cases, while calcifications appeared later. Diagnostic accuracy of T2-hypointense (70.8%) was superior to the presence of the most dysplastic features (55.6%) in epileptogenic lesion identification. Positive predictive value for complete resection of all T2-hypointense lesions was 63.6%, compared to 50.0% for highly dysplastic lesions. Seizure recurrence was high (negative predictive value 76.9%) when T2-hypointense lesions remained outside the resected area. Assessing T2-hypointense lesions on unmyelinated brain MRI has important diagnostic value in identifying the epileptogenic lesion in pre-surgical work-up in infants with tuberous sclerosis complex and drug-resistant epilepsy. Unmyelinated brain MRI deserves a more important position in pre-surgical evaluation in infants with tuberous sclerosis complex and drug-resistant epilepsy.

Indexed as

epilepsy surgeryMRImyelinationTSC

Identifiers

PMID40630192
PMCPMC12235600

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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.