Noninvasive Pre-surgical Evaluation of Patients With Focal Epilepsy and Establishment of a Normative Imaging Database

MRI of the brain is routinely used to identify abnormal areas of cortex in patients with medically refractory epilepsy. MRI evaluations of brain may be performed at field strengths of 1.5T, 3T, and/or 7T, under conditions designated by the FDA as constituting nonsignificant risk.

MEG/EEG: Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is commonly used during epilepsy pre-surgical evaluations to help with localizing epileptic foci. MEG will be obtained as clinically indicated, usually in patients with unclear seizure focus localization who are undergoing presurgical evaluation, particularly when they have frequent interictal discharges on EEG. MEG records very small magnetic fields generated by the brain at rest, or in response to a task or to epileptic activity. Resting state MEG/EEG analysis will be used for research purposes only.