Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42668454›Full record

ArticleEpilepsy & behavior reports2026

A potential therapeutic role of unilateral anterior thalamic deep brain stimulation in epileptic spasms: A case report.

Takumi Mitsuhashi, Yasushi Iimura, Hiroharu Suzuki, Tetsuya Ueda, Kazuki Nishioka, Kazuki Nomura, Yuki Takaki, Madoka Nakajima, Shinpei Abe, Hidenori Sugano and 2 more

Abstract readCase Reports
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Epilepsy & behavior reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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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

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Takumi MitsuhashiDepartment of Neurosurgery, Juntendo University, Tokyo 1138421, Japan.
Yasushi IimuraDepartment of Neurosurgery, Juntendo University, Tokyo 1138421, Japan.
Hiroharu SuzukiDepartment of Neurosurgery, Juntendo University, Tokyo 1138421, Japan.
Tetsuya UedaDepartment of Neurosurgery, Juntendo University, Tokyo 1138421, Japan.
Kazuki NishiokaDepartment of Neurosurgery, Juntendo University, Tokyo 1138421, Japan.
Kazuki NomuraDepartment of Neurosurgery, Juntendo University, Tokyo 1138421, Japan.
Yuki TakakiDepartment of Neurosurgery, Juntendo University, Tokyo 1138421, Japan.
Madoka NakajimaDepartment of Neurosurgery, Juntendo University, Tokyo 1138421, Japan.
Shinpei AbeEpilepsy Center, Juntendo University Hospital, Tokyo 1130033, Japan.
Hidenori SuganoDepartment of Neurosurgery, Juntendo University, Tokyo 1138421, Japan.
Hirokazu IwamuroDepartment of Neurosurgery, Juntendo University, Tokyo 1138421, Japan.
Akihide KondoDepartment of Neurosurgery, Juntendo University, Tokyo 1138421, Japan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objective: Deep brain stimulation of the anterior nucleus of the thalamus (ANT-DBS) is an established palliative therapy for drug-resistant focal epilepsy; however, its efficacy for epileptic spasms (ES) and the clinical utility of unilateral stimulation remain unclear. To address these issues, we report a case of drug-resistant focal epilepsy with ES treated with unilateral ANT-DBS. Case: An 18-year-old right-handed male with focal cortical dysplasia type I had long-standing drug-resistant epilepsy. Despite multiple resective and palliative surgeries-including right frontal disconnection, corpus callosotomy, right anterior temporal lobectomy, and vagus nerve stimulation-daily ES, weekly focal impaired consciousness seizures (FIC), and monthly focal-to-bilateral tonic-clonic seizures (FBTC) persisted. Presurgical evaluation suggested an epileptic focus in the left temporal lobe for FIC/FBTC. ANT-DBS was planned for seizure alleviation. Lead implantation on the right side was considered unfavorable because of marked postsurgical atrophy. Therefore, unilateral ANT-DBS lead implantation on the left side was performed. Results: After implantation, ES frequency transiently decreased (median 0.46 seizures/day) but later increased during follow-up. Stimulation was initiated on postoperative day 22. After the stimulation amplitude reached ≥2.0 mA (postoperative day 92), the median spasm frequency decreased again to 0.31/day, lower than the preoperative baseline of 0.75/day (58.1% reduction; Significance: Unilateral ANT-DBS was associated with a clinically meaningful reduction in ES in this highly refractory case, suggesting a potential therapeutic role even when bilateral implantation is not feasible.

Indexed as

Anterior nucleus of the thalamusDeep brain stimulationDrug-resistant focal epilepsyEpilepsy surgeryEpileptic spasmsNeuromodulation therapyPediatric neurosurgery

Identifiers

PMID42668454
PMCPMC13524537

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