Understanding MRI-Negative Epilepsy and Its Challenges
Summary
This study looked at people with drug-resistant focal epilepsy who had negative MRI results, meaning no visible lesions were found on their scans. Researchers reviewed a large number of studies published between 1990 and 2025, focusing on how these patients were diagnosed and treated. They analyzed data from over 10,000 patients with MRI-negative epilepsy and compared it to those with MRI-positive results.
The key findings showed that patients with MRI-negative epilepsy often had different experiences compared to those with visible lesions. For example, they were more likely to undergo a specific type of brain monitoring called stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG) but less likely to have surgery. Additionally, the outcomes after surgery were generally less favorable for MRI-negative patients, with only about 61% experiencing improvement compared to 72% of MRI-positive patients. The study also highlighted that using advanced imaging techniques could improve diagnostic accuracy by 39%.
These findings are important because they suggest that the way MRI-negative epilepsy is classified can be unclear and may affect treatment options and outcomes. The study points out that many previous studies did not provide enough detail about the imaging methods used, which could lead to misunderstandings about the condition. While the results emphasize the need for better imaging practices before labeling someone as MRI-negative, the study also has limitations, such as the variability in how different studies reported their findings.
