Forniceal and hippocampal atrophy in temporal lobe epilepsy patients with a history of complex febrile convulsion

Abstract

Objectives: Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common seizure type in adults. Recent studies showed that 28–58% of TLE patients had a previous history of complex febrile convulsions (CFC). We compared the hippocampal volumes and volumes of amygdaloid body and widths of fornix and mammillary bodies on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of TLE patients with and without history of CFC. Methods: MRI scans of 42 subjects retrospectively examined. The amount of atrophy in hippocampus, amygdaloid body, fornix and mammillary bodies were determined by two formulas depending on the mean values of the controls. Results: We found no difference between TLE patients with a history of CFC and TLE patients without such a history in terms of all the quantitative measurements results (p>0.05) except the absolute right-left hippocampus volume and fornix % difference rate (p<0.01, p<0.05 respectively). Conclusion: Forniceal atrophy was more prominent in the TLE group of patients with previous CFC history when compared to those patients without a CFC history. The CFCs should not be underestimated in the childhood, as they are associated with more atrophy in the particular brain structures in patients with TLE.

Keywords

• complex febrile convulsion
• limbic system
• magnetic resonance imaging
• morphometry
• temporal lobe epilepsy

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